The Jedi League of Duelists
by Peach Wookiee
Summary: REPOSTED! AU. A revision of YuGiOh history as we know it. Someone who might not have joined the group until much later joins, changing the course of events forever... You've Lost That Loving Feeling...
1. A Brief History

Information and Biographies

**WARNING: THIS IS NOT THE REAL START OF THE STORY! PLEASE GO TO THE PROLOGUE FOR THE ACTUAL START OF THE STORY IF YOU DON'T CARE TO READ THIS PART!**

_Welcome, everyone, to my very first chapter series fan fiction! This is reposted from the initial fiction I wrote and with some help from Sam Fenton, I think I've improved it and I hope you all will review. I've decided to post this part first because it might help you best understand what will come later. __This section of "The Jedi League of Duelists" explains the backgrounds of Domino City, USA, and characters who appear but whom I don't wish to go into great detail about in the story itself. __This is similar to the appendices in __Lord of the __Rings _, _but it's at the beginning of the story so you, dear readers, aren't horribly confused and have to constantly try to figure out what's going on. Besides, my first full chapter is huge, as it explains the backgrounds of the teen characters in depth (well, most of them). __I have a feeling that this greatly diverges from the __manga__ and anime, but I've had a lot of fun filling in blanks using my own ideas. __I've__ decided to tie in elements of American history to our heroes as well as the history of Domino itself, since in the dub, __YuGiOh__ takes place in America.__ This story is © Peach __Wookiee__ Tales, 2007. I own nothing but the plot and my interpretations._

Domino City—Domino City was founded in 1946 shortly after the end of World War II by Japanese Americans who lost their homes and property when they were placed in internment camps in 1942, not long after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Many of the city's founders had sons in the legendary 442nd Infantry of the US Army (an all-Japanese-American infantry that was also the most highly decorated infantry in WWII), and wanted their sons to have homes to come home to. The city grew from a group of 350 people to a bustling small city and thanks to the technology boom of the 1990s, grew prosperous. The city's current favorite sons are Yugi David Muto, Seto James Kaiba and Joseph Aaron Wheeler.

Solomon Isaiah Muto—Born in 1927 to immigrant parents, Solomon Isaiah Muto was very curious about the world around him. At a time when it wasn't fashionable or even encouraged by the community at large, young Solomon gained command of the English language (his homeland's tongue) and the Japanese language (his parent's homeland's tongue). He loved spending time in museums as a young child, and found himself developing a love for archeology. When he was about 15 years old, Solomon and his family were sent to the Minidoka Internment Camp in Idaho as part of America's Japanese relocation program.

After his time in the internment camp, Solomon went to college and majored in archeological studies. In the 1950s, he went to Egypt on an archeological mission to find the tomb of an unknown pharaoh and nearly died when one of his cohorts shot him in the back. When he returned to Domino, Solomon met and married Sophie Miriam Goldsmith, the daughter of a doctor and a rabbi's daughter. In 1962, Solomon and Sophie had their only son, David Saul Muto, and Solomon made a successful gaming business.

In 1985, Solomon and his wife gained a daughter when David, shortly after graduating Harvard Law School and joining Domino City's Law Firm of Thomas, Scalia and Taft, married his longtime girlfriend, Abigail Ruth Rosenbaum. Solomon and his wife were happy to find out shortly before Thanksgiving of 1987 that David and Abby were expecting their first child. Sadly, Sophie died of a sudden massive heart attack two months before her grandson, Yugi David, was born. Solomon devoted his energies to his game shop, his son and daughter-in-law, and then his grandson. He made one last trip to Egypt before Yugi's third birthday, and met fellow archeologist Arthur Charles Hawkins, who gave Solomon one of the four Blue Eyes White Dragon cards in the entire world.

In 1991, Solomon became guardian of little Yugi when David and Abby were killed by a pregnant drunk driver. Solomon grieved for his lost children, but found his greatest joy in the small spiky-haired little boy he was now permanent guardian of. When Yugi was old enough, Solomon taught the little boy how to play the game of Duel Monsters, and later gave his grandson something that he'd picked up on the fateful trip to Egypt where he'd nearly lost his life: a box containing the pieces to an ancient 5000-year-old tridimensional puzzle.

Solomon watched as Yugi struggled and eventually solved the Millennium Puzzle, and found himself affected by strange events that occurred after its completion. At the age of 76, Solomon would reflect that his life was still as exciting as it was when he was a young Turk archeologist.

Gozaburo Kaiba—Gozaburo Kaiba was born in 1944 in the Manzanar internment camp in California. His father had owned a business prior to the Kaiba family's internment, but lost it when the government froze the family's assets after the December 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor. The young Gozaburo was strongly affected by his father's depression and anger at what had occurred and became determined to take back what the government had stolen from his family. At sixteen years old, Gozaburo began work at a Boeing plant and learned about airplanes that could carry weapons. By the time he was twenty-five, Gozaburo owned a company that sold munitions to the US government. When he was thirty years old, Gozaburo owned a multinational weapons company.

The drive to regain what his father had lost was not the only thing that drove Gozaburo's success. In 1983, Gozaburo married his wife, Charlotte Grace Uzimaki, age 27. Four years later, they were blessed with a son named Noah Gozaburo. In 1999, tragedy struck. While observing a weapons test with the five members of the Kaiba Corp board of directors, Noah was struck by the weapon and driven into an irreversible coma. A few days previously, Gozaburo had gone to an orphanage to give out presents as a public relations stunt, but met a young boy named Seto James Delaney who challenged the chess grand master to a game… and won. Originally, young Seto and his little brother Mokuba would be used to motivate Noah, but now would be used in entirely different ways.

Gozaburo transferred his biological son's consciousness to a supercomputer, turning him into a virtual child, much to Charlotte's horror. She was somewhat wary of adopting the Delaney brothers for Noah's motivation, but placing her biological son into a virtual world was something she absolutely could not condone. She was planning to file for divorce, but died under mysterious circumstances just a few days before Seto and Mokuba moved in. They had no knowledge that Gozaburo had a son about Seto's age, so for the next year, the final year of his life, Gozaburo pretended that Noah had never existed and his wife had left him. And so Gozaburo began the process of breaking young Seto in what the boy and his brother would later refer to as "the year of Hell."

Gozaburo separated the two brothers, not allowing Seto to see his little brother very often, and abusing the older boy in every way possible. But though the twelve-year-old boy was breaking in some ways under Gozaburo's "tutelage," the 55-year-old CEO didn't realize that he was signing his own death warrant. Shortly before Seto's thirteenth birthday, Gozaburo offered the boy and his brother a challenge: turn 10 million dollars into 100 million dollars in one year. Seto, however, made the money in one week by buying a company, then having the owner buy it back at 10 times the value. The senior Kaiba, while impressed at young Seto's ruthlessness, would never praise the boy. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to Gozaburo, Seto was plotting his overthrow.

Gozaburo found out about Seto's plot, but didn't realize it was Seto's intention that the CEO find out. Gozaburo, now 56, had found out through a leak that Seto and the board was plotting against him. Seto blamed Mokuba and the smaller boy ran to the only adult he felt he could. Gozaburo liked this development. He could easily manipulate Mokuba into being the perfect CEO… once Seto was out of the way. _That boy will never go back to the orphanage, because someone will notice how I taught him_. But Seto had other ideas. Mokuba gave his two percent share of Kaiba Corp to his big brother, giving Seto the 51 percent he needed to take over the company. Gozaburo was enraged that a thirteen-year-old could so easily defeat him, so he was prepared to do one of two things: kill Seto or kill himself. He chose the latter, but had his mind placed into virtual storage with his biological son, to be found at a later date.

_This concludes a brief appendix of information about Domino and two of the people there that made a great impact on our heroes, for good or ill. I hope you enjoyed this interpretation. And now… _The Jedi League of Duelists _prologue…_


	2. Prologue

Prologue: Such Great Heights

_The song for this chapter is "Such Great Heights," as performed by The Postal Service._

_I own nothing but Lisa, non-established characters, OCs and the plot. Any characters from "Grey's Anatomy" are the rightful property of Shonda Rhimes. © Peach Wookiee Tales, 2007. Note: This tale is AU, though I really prefer the term __**alternate timeline.**_

_**Author's note, five years later: **__Edited to eliminate unnecessary POV references._

_Life… It comes at you at speeds you're not always prepared for. Sometimes, it moves so slowly, you can't wait until something happens to speed it up. At other times, your life's speed goes so quickly you wish you could slow it down. And at other times, you wish you could stay at a particular pace forever. Unfortunately, life isn't so easily controlled. _

Lisa Angela Hammond twitched out of her thoughts and glanced around the locker room. Not unusual for a girl of nearly fifteen and a half, except that the locker room she was in belonged not to a high school, but to a children's hospital in the city of Domino. She was pulling off her scrubs, and pulling on a pair of jeans, a pink shirt with ¾ sleeves, clean socks and black sneakers with pink trim. In an hour and a half, on a Saturday in early June of 2003, she was interviewing for a job at Kaiba Corporation to be the personal physician to the CEO, Seto Kaiba and his almost-nine-year-old brother, Mokuba. She pulled a brush through her slightly wavy golden brown hair which came just nearly to her chin, and touched up her makeup. She brushed a little taupe eye shadow on her eyelids, which accentuated her blue eyes, and then put on some pink lipstick. _Not bad, _she thought, _but will it be enough?_

"Are you ready, Lisa?" Lisa stood up and turned to see her fellow doctors and good friends entering the locker room. The query came from a doctor named Jean Louise Rhodes, whom Lisa called Scout.

"I'm as ready as I'll ever be, Scout." She grabbed her purse and a file folder containing a new copy of her résumé, information on her potential patients, recommendation letters and other miscellaneous information.

"You'll do fine, Lisa. Just remember, we all believe in you," said Darla Truesdale.

"You're one of the sweetest doctors on the planet, Leese! In more ways than one!" Jayda Yuki added.

"Now go out there and give it your all," added Hiro Misawa.

"I will!" Lisa said, giving them each high fives as she headed out the locker room door to Domino Children's front door.

"Good luck, Lisa!" shouted a nurse named George O'Malley as she charged out the front doors.

"Thanks, George!" she yelled back. _I'll need it…_

Lisa jogged through the streets of Domino, nervous but happy. The streets of this city were very clean, more so than Lisa's hometown of Kirkland, Washington. While she'd gotten the job at Domino Children's because it was a hospital with the latest equipment and a wonderful staff, she had to admit to herself that Domino reminded her a lot of the home she'd left. In the suburban neighborhood where she'd grown up (a very short distance from Seattle), she could see Lake Washington, the city of Seattle and the Olympic Mountain Range towering behind the city. Here in Domino, there was a mountain range to the east of the city and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It didn't rain here quite as often as it did in Seattle, but that suited Lisa just fine as she couldn't have a car yet, and had to rely on her feet or public transportation.

It took Lisa almost an hour to reach Kaiba Corp on foot. She fortunately hadn't gotten sweaty, but she was out of breath. She looked at her watch… 4:00 PM. She was a half an hour early, so she quickly went to a smoothie shop across the street to refresh herself, walked back to the building and stared up at the tall building…


	3. The Past Shapes Who We Are

Chapter I: "The Past Shapes Who We Are"

_Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot, Lisa and non-established characters. © Peach Wookiee Tales, 2007._

_Author's note: The soundtrack choices for certain sections will be noted in italics to establish the mood of certain scenes. Furthermore, many back stories are given in this chapter so there may not be a great deal of dialogue. I own nothing but the plot, the Hammonds, and a few secondary characters. I have also given the Kaiba brothers the last name of Delaney, which means "descendant of the challenger," which would fit Seto's ancient past._

_**Additional notes, five years later: **__As some of you may have noticed, I used the names of characters from __**Revolutionary Girl Utena**__ and __**PatLabor**__ as well. I clearly don't own those either. There is also a deliberate __**Simpsons **__reference. _

_Also, later in the chapter, Joey's dad uses some very inappropriate and vulgar language; for that reason, I am leaving said language out in order to preserve the T rating. You older readers can easily read between the lines to figure out the words I've replaced with X's. Thank you very much for your attention._

Every young person has a story to explain where he's been or where she's going. Some stories are of triumph; others are of tragedy. Some people seem to lead charmed lives while others have to struggle. And the lives of the people in this story are no exception.

Lisa Angela Hammond was born into one family, but was chosen for another family before she was even born. Her biological parents were teenagers who had let their hormones get control of them. The seventeen-year-old boy and girl realized that they couldn't take care of the baby that was coming, and so did the best thing they could for her. The teen couple made the very adult decision to give their baby to a loving family who could take care of her. And so the baby girl was adopted into the Hammond family.

On a day a little over fifteen years before Lisa would meet a certain teenaged CEO, she was lying in a crib while her five-year-old brother, Eddie, cooed at her. "Hi, Lisa! I drew you a picture in preschool today!" He held the picture close to the crib where she could see it, and the tiny baby held her hand up to it. It was a crayon rendering of a stick figure Eddie holding baby Lisa while their stick figure parents stood behind them, and a black curly dog, their standard poodle, Rainbow, sat next to them.

Eddie and Lisa's mom, Gigi, stepped into the room and examined the scene. "Mom, she likes it!" Eddie exclaimed.

"Of course, she likes it, Bubby," she said, calling her eldest by his nickname. "You gave it to her, isn't that right, Darren?" she said, turning to her husband, Darren.

Darren Leroy Hammond nodded, smiling. "Eddie, your sister already loves you and she'll love what you give her because of it."

And so, little Edward Brandon Hammond adored—some of the time— and watched out for his baby sister. The Hammond family lived in a modest house in Kirkland, Washington in a nice neighborhood. Darren Leroy Hammond was a professor at a small university, while Gigi Renee Hammond was a proud stay-at-home mom. Therefore, it was Gigi who was the first to see that her daughter had been blessed with strange and wonderful abilities. When Lisa was six months old, she was able to take objects like her favorite stuffed toy off of a high shelf using telekinetic powers. Lisa was also slightly empathic and telepathic, so she was sort of able to tell her mother when she needed her diaper changed or when she was hungry.

Perhaps what made Lisa's life choice in career was a sad event. When Lisa was not quite a month past her second birthday, her Grandma Hanson died of cancer. Grandma Hanson, unfortunately, didn't live to see her granddaughter's mental prowess manifest itself, or to be a living inspiration which Lisa would always feel pain about. At the tender age of three, Lisa picked up her father's philosophy book and showed that she could read and understand it. She was also able to do eight-year-old Eddie's second grade homework. Testing revealed that Lisa was exceedingly brilliant. Consequently, when most children were entering kindergarten, Lisa was entering the pre-medical program at the University of Washington. Over two years later, when Lisa was preparing to graduate and head into UW's medical program, her father's father, Clifford Hammond, collapsed and died from aortic dissection. This tragedy made the little girl even more determined that she would become a great doctor. When she was fourteen years old, Lisa became a full-fledged MD, and moved to Domino.

While Lisa Hammond was following her life's path, other children in America and in the United Kingdom were having their destinies shaped as well.

Tristan Jesse Taylor was born the second child of Samuel Jeffrey and Amanda Bridget Taylor. He began his life surrounded by his parents, his sister Arianna, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. His earliest memory would be of staring up at a mobile of Harley-Davidson motorcycles, while his sister Arianna and cousin Trina were chatting about some of the boys in their class. On that same day, his dad attempted to make his lawnmower more powerful, but the attempt resulted in Sam Taylor going to the emergency room for stitches.

When Tristan was three years old, his mom and dad enrolled him in Domino's Kenobi Preschool. On his first day there, Tristan met another three-year-old boy named Joseph Aaron Wheeler, and the two boys became fast friends. Tristan would be there for Joey, and would be asked to keep a terrible secret shortly after Joey's mother left his father. A few years later, Tristan would tell that secret to save Joey's life.

Y

Teá Heather Gardner was born the only child of Benjamin and Rose Gardner. From the time she was brought home from the hospital, the little blue-eyed girl had love and attention showered upon her. Her love of friendship was probably kindled by a Care Bears stuffed toy named Friend Bear that her cousin Dory had given her. Dory was the cousin that introduced little Teá to ballet and other forms of dance. Teá wouldn't begin dance lessons, however, until she was three years old and met a certain spiky-haired boy.

Teá would find that she preferred hanging out with young Yugi David Muto and playing with him to hanging around with girls her age that tended to be "stuck-up" and convinced that they must be God's gift to the universe. So Teá and Yugi were very close and Teá was there when Yugi's grandfather gave him a magical golden puzzle to solve. She was also there for him when the diminutive boy faced bullies and would choose to be there for him no matter what.

Y

Meanwhile, a boy named Duke Rupert Devlin was raised with a fascination for floor shows, women and the gambling monster, Gamblor. Duke, though born in Domino, divided his time between San Francisco and Las Vegas. His father, Dirk, owned businesses in both cities and took his little son along with him. Duke's mother had died of a cerebral aneurysm when Duke was a month old, so Dirk did the best he could to raise his son alone and little Duke did the best he could in life.

At the age of fifteen, Duke would return to the city of his birth to buy a game shop. While this seemed like a good investment, Duke was also motivated by anger. He would attempt revenge on a certain small amethyst-eyed teenage boy who, Duke was convinced, had cheated to win the Duelist Kingdom Duel Monsters trading card game (TCG) tournament. But perceptions change, as often happens, through a boy's experiences and outright stupidity, and Duke would later admit that he had been the world's biggest idiot.

Y

Mai Deirdre Valentine was born in Domino. What will be said here is that Mai's distrust of people began early because there was no love in her household. On another day, her full story would come to light.

Y

In London, England, a boy named Bakura Jason Ryou had a very happy childhood, indeed. His father, Kenneth, was a world-renowned archeologist and a third-generation Japanese-American. Bakura's mother, Sylvia, held dual citizenship in the United States and the United Kingdom. Kenneth and Sylvia had met at Oxford University, gotten married and stayed in the United Kingdom for the births of their two children, Bakura, and five years later, Amane. Bakura adored his little sister and she worshipped him in return.

Bakura wasn't quite eleven years old when tragedy struck. It was a rainy day, and Bakura's mother had just picked up little Amane from her morning kindergarten class which wasn't too far from Buckingham Palace. At the same time, some photographers were speeding toward the palace to take pictures of Prince Charles, who was rumored to have been seen with a woman other than Camilla Parker-Bowles. Such a picture would be worth a great deal more than a thousand words, if confirmed, and the paparazzi were practically slobbering like dogs for that picture. But on this day, a picture that did not exist would be worth a great deal more than a thousand words. The photographers sped through a red light just as Bakura's mother was pulling her car into the intersection, making a left turn. The photographers' car slammed into the other car at a rate of fifty miles per hour. Sylvia Ryou and the photographers were killed instantly, but little Amane was only critically injured. She was raced to Great Ormond Street Hospital and the doctors valiantly fought to save the small girl's life.

An hour later, Bakura Ryou was called out of his fifth grade class' study hall by the school nurse. The dark-eyed, platinum blonde-haired boy looked at the usually jolly dark-haired brown-eyed plump woman, somehow knowing that something was terribly wrong. "Yes, Ms. Flavershaum?" he asked.

"Bakura, you need to get your things," she said in a light Irish brogue. "Your father is coming to take you to Great Ormond Street Hospital…"

_"Chasing Cars" acoustic version. Artist: Snow Patrol._

And Bakura's life as he knew it came crashing down around him. As he rode to the hospital in a cab, his father was strangely silent. Finally, Kenneth Ryou took a deep breath. "Bakura," he said, his brown eyes filling with tears, "your mother was killed in the accident. Amane is in critical condition…"

"Dad, what happened?"

"Mom and Amane were leaving the kindergarten, and a car hit them. The people in the other car died, too." Ken could talk no more and they rode quickly but silently to the hospital.

Bakura would not remember much more after that. He would barely remember arriving at the hospital, heading down the hallway, and sitting in a waiting room. About an hour later, a doctor came out and talked to his father. Amane had been injured beyond what the doctors could fix and so the most they could do was make her comfortable. "But," the doctor sadly whispered to the grieving father, "the likelihood is that she will likely pass in the next forty-eight hours, if that long." Ken Ryou went in to see his little girl, but couldn't stay because it hurt so badly.

But young Bakura sat down next to his sister's hospital bed. "I'm here, Amane…" he said softly, tears coming into his chocolate brown eyes. "I'm staying."

Over the next eighteen hours, Bakura watched Amane's young life leave her. But even though it hurt, he stayed. _Why?_ he implored God. _Why does Amane have to leave me? She deserves a full life, and now she won't have it! It's not fair!_ The eleven year-old raged at how unfair life could be. At the ten-hour mark, Bakura decided to talk.

"Amane, I don't know if you can hear me," he said through his tears, "but… you can't leave. I don't want you to… I need you here with me, little sister. I love you so much…" He couldn't say more, and evidently that was all that needed to be said.

At seventeen hours and forty-five minutes, Amane's eyes fluttered open and she beheld her brother for the last time in this world. "Bakura?"

The boy looked up and saw his sister looking at him. "Amane?"

"Mummy's calling me…"

Bakura remembered, as he looked at his dying sister, the mess she'd made in the kitchen a few days before, trying to make her beloved brother a batch of brownies. _Mum spent two hours cleaning up that mess, but she wasn't mad,_ he recalled. "Amane, Mummy's in Heaven," he answered, finding it difficult to talk.

"I know," she answered with a wisdom and peace beyond her six years. "She said we'll both be your angels…"

With that, the little girl's chocolate brown eyes lost focus and closed. Within a few short minutes, her breathing and heart rate became irregular, and shortly thereafter, Amane Hermione Ryou joined her mother in Heaven as her father and brother cried their hearts out.

Three days later, Bakura stood at the graveside of his mother and little sister. "Dad," he asked Ken, "why did it happen?"

"'Kura, I don't know… I…" And Ken Ryou began to cry softly.

Bakura, too, felt the burn of tears. _I couldn't save them. But maybe I'll save someone else someday. I promise that if I have the opportunity to save people in the future, I shall do it, no matter what it may cost me._ Little did Bakura Ryou know just how much that promise would cost him.

Y

_"Time After Time" as sung by Eva Cassidy_

Yugi David Muto was born in Domino City to David Saul and Abigail Ruth Muto. He was doted upon by his father, mother, and his grandpa Solomon Isaiah Muto. Solomon's wife, Sophie, had died before Yugi was born and so devoted his time to his tiny grandson, archaeology, and his thriving game shop. Yugi, though a baby who'd come into the world a tiny bit early, thrived with all this attention.

When Yugi was six months old, he was at his grandpa's house with his mom and dad, clad in a fuzzy royal purple sleeper. He gurgled and giggled as his grandfather brought him a bottle of warmed up formula while Mommy held him. "Yugi, here's your dinner," Solomon virtually sang at him.

"Dad, look at him! He already knows what that bottle is!" David said with obvious pride. David looked a lot like his father had looked as a young man with the same eyes and tri-colored hair, but his nose was a little more delicate. Abigail Muto, more popularly known as Abby, had ruddy brown hair and dark brown eyes. On this night, six-month-old Yugi knew nothing but love, trust and safety in his family's keep.

About two and a half years later, shortly after Yugi's third birthday, tragedy struck. David and Abby went out to celebrate David's promotion at his law firm and Abby's promotion to head curator of the Italian Renaissance section at the Domino Museum. Solomon, eager to spend time with his only grandchild, took Yugi for the night so his parents could have real time alone together for the first time since Yugi was born.

The Muto couple went to one of Domino's finest romantic restaurants, the Bolero. It was a place where couples could relax and enjoy each other's company. At the same time David and Abby were sitting down to dinner, a young girl named Melissa Tsubaki, nicknamed Lissa, was guzzling down her second beer at a Domino University sorority drinking contest. _I was so stupid_, she thought angrily. _How could I have let him..? "That's your problem, Lissa. Just get rid of the problem," he said. How can I?_ "He" was Lissa's employer, a wealthy well-known businessman in Domino. She had just turned eighteen and found out she was seven weeks pregnant. The man was married, she was the nanny and she was underage when their relationship began. He'd started it, and now she could abort the baby or have it and likely ruin her life. So she went to the sorority (she had college buddies who'd let her in) and began to drink to ease away the agony.

Two hours later, David and Abby headed to their car in the Bolero's parking lot and talked about the future. "David, I think we ought to have another baby," Abby said, kissing her husband's cheek.

"I agree," David answered. "When do we start?"

"How about tonight?" she asked with a diabolical look on her face. He pulled her into a passionate kiss.

"What about your promotion?" he asked as they came up for air.

"David, I can do a lot of work even with a new baby, and besides, it might not happen tonight or for a while."

"So what are you thinking about for the Italian Renaissance exhibit, Abby?"

"Oh, I was thinking about getting a section of the exhibit that's devoted to women artists."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah…."

As David and Abby Muto continued to discuss their future plans, pulling out of the parking lot of the Bolero, Melissa Tsubaki sped down the same street in the opposite direction. She had won the drinking contest by guzzling down seven beers. Somehow, she'd managed to stay on her feet and make it to her car and make it through traffic without a police officer catching her. Now, she was on her way home to talk to her parents. But on this night, Melissa Tsubaki and her unborn child would meet a tragic end.

David Muto was glad he and Abby were going to have another baby. _I don't want Yugi to be alone_, he thought smiling. "Abby?"

"Hmmm?"

"What would you say if I said I wanted to start my own law firm in a few years?" Abby's brown eyes sparkled.

"I'd say that would be risky, but a good thing," she answered, but then she saw a car weaving out of traffic. "David...?"

The car crossed the center line of the road, and David had no time to dodge. "_**Abby**_!" Melissa Tsubaki's car crashed into David and Abby's car at a speed of fifty miles per hour (the speed limit on the street being 30 mph), and Melissa Tsubaki, her unborn baby and Abigail Ruth Muto were killed instantly. David Muto, however, was critically injured.

An hour later, the phone rang at Muto Games. "Game shop, Solomon Muto speaking… Yes..? Yes... Oh, dear God… Yes, we'll be there immediately." Solomon Isaiah Muto felt incredibly numb as he went into the bedroom where Yugi had just snuggled down in his Pull-ups, blue footie pajamas with stars on them, and his teddy bear, Carim. "Yugi?"

The little boy sat up, wiped the sleepiness from his eyes, yawned and said, "Yes, Grandpa?" The numbness Solomon had felt went away abruptly to be replaced by pain.

He took a deep breath, composing himself and said, "We… we have to go to the hospital. Daddy is hurt badly."

Yugi looked up at his grandfather in awe. "Where Mommy, Grandpa?"

Save for his wife Sophie's death and being interned at the Minidoka internment camp during World War II as a teenager, Solomon Muto had never been in such pain as he looked into his grandson's eyes. "Mommy… Mommy is in Heaven, Yugi…"

Yugi's father hung on for two agonizing days, despite injuries that should have killed him almost immediately. But somehow, David Saul Muto fought to stay alive. Solomon and little Yugi sat by David's bedside all that time as David's life slipped away. Finally, David Muto's body gave out and nearly forty-eight hours after the accident that took his wife, a teenage girl and her unborn child, the medical monitors beeped wildly and then droned in a single tone. "Daddy… Daddy," Yugi whimpered, then sobbed while Solomon Muto wept silently. A day later, David and Abby Muto were laid to rest in Domino Cemetery.

Yugi moved in with his grandfather permanently two days after the funeral. The small boy clutched his teddy bear and a picture of himself and his family before… Meanwhile, a three-year-old girl with nut-brown hair and blue eyes made her way to the "turtle house" as she called it with the help of her mother. She wanted to meet the new little boy that had moved in with his grandpa after his mommy and daddy had gone up to Heaven. "Hello," Solomon greeted Teá's mother, "You must be Rose."

"And you must be Solomon."

As the adults got acquainted, Teá Heather Gardner toddled over to Yugi David Muto and held out her hand. "Hi, I'm Teá. What's your name?"

"I… I'm Yugi… Wanna play?" And with that, a friendship that would last and eventually become something more began.

Y

Seto James Delaney was born to Richard James and Adina Justine Delaney in the city of Domino. By the time he was three, little Seto was reading books that challenged sixth graders. The boy was brilliant and also kind. But Richard and Adina thought that they should have a second child, so that their sweet son wouldn't be alone.

On a warm July day, six-and-three-quarters-year-old Seto beamed in anticipation. For his first few years on Earth, he'd been an only child and for about three of those years, he'd lobbied for a baby brother or sister. He was excited today because after seven months of waiting since his parents had told him he would be a big brother, the baby was on its way…

About seven months earlier… "Seto?" Richard James Delaney called his son.

"Yeah, Dad?"

"Your mom and I have something to tell you." Seto sat down on the couch between his mom and dad, noticing that Mom was looking a little green around the gills. But they both looked happy as they'd looked when they'd told him he was going to the Domino Academy for Gifted Children, so he asked a question.

"I'm not going to a different school, am I?" he queried with his eyes wide and eyebrows raised. Richard and Adina both laughed at this, and then sobered.

"Seto, honey…." Adina gathered her son in her lap, holding him in a gentle hug. Adina Delaney had grey eyes with a hint of blue in them that almost always had a happy twinkle in them and raven hair that tumbled past her shoulders. To Seto's nose, she smelled kind of like cookies and roses. Richard Delaney had ruddy brown hair and bright blue eyes, and looked as his son might look as an adult, with a wonderful sense of humor around the mouth. Adina continued, "Sweetie, you know I haven't been feeling well the last few mornings, right?"

"Yeah, Mom, so what's going on?"

"Well, Daddy and I went to the doctor yesterday, and we found out I'm going to have a baby in a few months. You're going to be a big brother, angel."

Seto looked shocked for a second, then pumped his small fist into the air in triumph. "**Yes**!" he shouted with a grin on his face, and abruptly composed himself. "So what will the baby's name be?"

Adina thought a brief moment, glanced at Richard and then said, "Well, Daddy and I were thinking that if the baby's a girl, she'll be Sakura Anela."

"What's Anela mean, Mom?"

"It means angel in Hawaiian, sweetheart. And if we have a little boy, we'll call him Mokuba Richard."

Seto considered this for a moment, and asked, "Mom, Dad? Why do the baby and I have Japanese first names? We're not Japanese."

"Well," Richard explained, "Mommy is one-quarter Japanese because her mommy's mommy was Japanese, so you're one-eighth Japanese. And also, Mom and I went to Japan for our honeymoon."

"And we loved the country so much," continued Adina, "that we decided we'd give our kids Japanese names."

"Oh, okay. That sounds neat, Mom and Dad," the small boy responded that day with a little awe.

Now, Seto sat in the maternity waiting room at Domino General Hospital, swinging his small legs over the edge of the vinyl-covered chair. He heard a door swing open, looked up and saw his father looking tired but happy. "Your brother's here, Seto. C'mon in and see him," Richard said, taking his now-eldest child by the hand and leading him to the delivery room.

"Hi, Mommy," Seto said as he entered the room and saw his mother holding a tiny baby in her arms.

"Hi, sweetheart. Say hello to Mokuba Richard Delaney," Adina said softly as the six-year-old came closer. "Isn't he beautiful?" she asked.

"Yeah," Seto said almost reverently, and then noticed his mother's face. "Mommy, are you okay?!" Adina had suddenly become very pale. The nurse took the baby from his mother's arms and laid the tiny Mokuba in a bassinette.

"I'm not sure, Seto," Adina answered her son weakly. Quickly, the nurse called a doctor and they brought in a gurney to take the mother into emergency surgery. "Seto, I love you," Adina said as they wheeled her away.

Those were the last words that Adina Delaney said to her eldest child in this world. Shortly after being wheeled out of her room, Adina lost consciousness. Seto had been delivered by Caesarian section nearly seven years earlier and unbeknownst to anyone, scar tissue had built up around the incision area. Mokuba had been born in the normal way, and Adina's uterine wall had, shortly after the baby's birth, given way. This led to catastrophic internal bleeding and the doctors couldn't stop it quickly enough. Within half an hour of Mokuba Richard Delaney's birth, his mother lay dead. Richard James Delaney was mentally falling to pieces and like Humpty Dumpty couldn't be put back together again.

An hour after his mother died, Seto was in a quiet hospital room with her. Someone had laid the young mother in a hospital bed and made it look as if she was merely sleeping, eyes closed, raven hair framing her pretty yet pale face. _She can't be dead, _the little boy thought. _She was playing sparklers with me on the fourth of July! _But then he reached out and tried to take his mother's hand. It was limp and lifeless. "Mama," he whimpered and began crying. Never again would she tuck him into bed or sing to him or bake cookies with him. That realization hurt deeply. And then he heard the cries of his new baby brother.

Seto walked into the next room where his dad was sitting, not making any moves toward the baby. Seto approached the bassinette and looked at the tiny baby who'd cost his mother her life.

Seto James Delaney could've hated his little brother for the loss of their mother, but as he gazed at the crying baby with raven hair sticking up from the tiny head, an almost magical thing happened. The tiny baby flung an arm out and his little hand closed over his big brother's index finger, then Mokuba stopped crying and opened his blue-gray eyes for the very first time.

At that moment, any anger Seto might've had evaporated. "Mokie," he said softly, "I'm here. Big Brother's here, and I'll always be here for you."

Seto would find later that he could only recall bits and pieces of the next few days. He would remember his mother's funeral and he and his father learning how to take care of baby Mokuba. However, Seto would ultimately end up taking care of his brother and their home. Richard Delaney sank into a deep depression after his wife died, leaving his eldest son to take care of the child that had (to Richard's mind) taken his beloved Adina from him, as well as things a child of seven years shouldn't be expected to take care of.

For the next four years, Seto virtually raised his little brother as their father slipped away, doing an exemplary job of balancing home life and school life. The boy cooked, cleaned, nurtured his little brother and went shopping. He would place the much smaller boy in a stroller and walk to the nearest grocery store. Many people questioned why such a young boy would be taking his little brother to stores alone, but already young Seto was learning how to lie to protect what remained of his family. He'd learned to forge his father's signature and write notes giving the elder Delaney brother permission to take his brother out on errands so no one would call Child Protective Services (Seto didn't want to chance that he and his brother would be separated in foster care). But even the most brilliant of lies couldn't bring Richard Delaney back from where he was headed.

One sunny Monday morning, shortly before Seto's eleventh birthday, Richard James Delaney went to a bar after dropping Mokuba off at Davida Dyson Preschool for Extraordinary Munchkins, the same preschool Seto had attended. Richard should have gone to work at his law firm, but his dark thoughts had finally gotten the best of him. _Seto will understand when he reads the note, _Richard thought as he downed his fourth shot of scotch. After his sixth shot, Richard left the bar, climbed into his red Porsche 911 Targa. He drove to the Domino Bay Bridge, swerved, slammed on the accelerator, and went over the side of the bridge at 100 miles per hour. The car hit the water, and Richard James Delaney was killed instantly.

Meanwhile, Seto got an eerie feeling during his pre-calculus class that something was wrong. He couldn't explain it, but it felt to him as if something bad had happened, but he pushed that feeling away as so many of us push away uneasy feelings. At 11:30, when the nearly eleven-year-old was working on a solution of his own making in chemistry, the school principal called over the intercom.

"Mrs. Organa?"

"Yes, Ms. Tenjo?" asked the rather pretty brown-haired brown-eyed teacher.

"Could you please send Seto Delaney down to the office, please? And have him bring all of his things with him. He will not be in class the rest of the day."

"I'll send him down," Mrs. Organa answered, looking at the boy with concern.

Seto looked back at his teacher and asked, "Mrs. Organa? What's going on?"

"I don't know, Seto," she answered. The boy cleared out his desk, stuffed his belongings into his backpack, said goodbye to his teacher and classmates, and left the room without a backward glance.

Seto James Delaney knew there was something wrong when he entered the principal's office. Ms. Utena Tenjo was sitting at her desk, obviously holding back tears and two police officers. "Ms. Tenjo? Am I in trouble?" the boy asked. She shook her head, unable to speak.

One of the police officers, a woman with short red hair and blue eyes stepped forward. "Hi, I'm Noa Izumi. You must be Seto. And this is my partner, Asuma Shinohara," she said.

Shinohara, a young man with black hair and grey eyes, stepped forward. "Hi, Seto," and both officers shook his hand.

"Officer Izumi, Officer Shinohara, if I'm not in trouble, is something wrong?"

Noa and Asuma both silently reflected at this moment that what they were about to tell this child was one of the things that made their job so hard. "Seto," Noa began, stooping to Seto's level and taking a deep breath, "Seto, your daddy was… in an accident." And with those eight words, the world as Seto knew it began to crumble.

In later years, Seto would recall only a bit of that day. He would remember going with officers Shinohara and Izumi to Davida Dyson Preschool to get his little brother, and then Mokuba crying against him as the little boy realized their father wasn't coming back. That night, the Delaney brothers returned home for the last time to pack their meager possessions. The police officers had called Seto and Mokuba's mother's sister and brother-in-law, but for some strange reason, the Porters didn't want to take their own flesh and blood. So Shinohara and Izumi called a social worker to stay with the boys for three days until after their father's funeral when they would be sent to the Domino Children's Home.

As Seto and Mokuba prepared for bed that night, the older brother cleaned out his blue backpack. Mokuba was in the bathroom getting himself ready for bed, which Seto later considered fortunate. "What—?" Seto muttered, pulling a sealed white envelope from the pack. He opened it and wished later that he hadn't.

The letter read thus…

_Dear Seto,_

_By the time you read this, I will be gone. I can't live in this world anymore, because the sight of him is too painful. I can't go on, even for you, because looking at him is looking at your mother's killer. He looks like her, but he killed her. There's no bringing your mother back here, so I hope to go to where she is. Let go of him, Seto, because he'll only be a burden to you. Leave him. Daddy._

Seto stared at the letter and fought back angry tears. _How can he tell me that?! I can't just leave Mokie. I love him, and I will never leave him!_ He stuffed the letter back with his belongings, and then Mokuba padded back into the bedroom.

"Big brother? Can I sleep with you?"

Seto answered, "Sure, Mokie." They climbed into bed and Mokuba snuggled against his brother and began to cry hard. "Mokie, shhhh," Seto soothed.

"I miss Daddy. Why'd he have to go and die, Seto?" Mokuba whimpered.

At that moment, the nearly eleven-year-old boy had a choice. He could tell his little brother that their father had killed himself because he blamed Mokuba for the death of their mother. Or Seto could do what he ended up doing. "Mokie," he said, pulling his brother close, "we don't know why. But we've still got each other, and I'm gonna be here to watch out for you."

"Love you, Seto."

"I love you, too, little brother." Mokuba drifted off to sleep quickly, sucking his thumb and crying softly. Seto lay awake for a little bit after that, and made a silent promise that would define what little remained of his childhood and his adolescence. _No matter what, I'll love Mokie and take care of him. I'll do what's best for us, even if it hurts me. I will protect you, Mokuba, at all cost, and should I ever fail, I won't deserve to live any longer. _He inhaled deeply, exhaled, and feeling Mokuba's small sleeping form next to him, fell asleep.

Three days later, Seto and Mokuba Delaney took their meager belongings to the Domino Children's Home where they would hopefully be adopted by a loving family. Mokuba was optimistic, but Seto figured there was a very slim chance of that. It was then that Seto's emotions began to truly drain away. _I'll find a way out of here with Mokie, and I can't let my emotions control me…_

_"Inside Out" – VonRay_

A few months later, in another part of Domino, an eleven-year-old boy contemplated the cruelty of life and his father. Joseph Aaron Wheeler lay on his stomach in his small bed with a large red welt on his bottom and a bruise forming on his left cheek. Joey didn't know what he'd done to make his dad so angry at him, but Jacob Robert Wheeler believed his son had done something to deserve the beating. Joey had messy honey-blonde hair and warm brown eyes that, at this moment, were filling with tears. It was the boy's eleventh birthday but his father didn't seem to care one bit.

It felt like a century since Joey's mother had left with his little sister, Serenity, but Joey knew it had only been about a year and a half. Joey vividly remembered that day, and would likely remember it to the day of his death. He'd come home from playing with Tristan Taylor to see his mom pulling away from the curb and driving down the street. Serenity was in the car and Mom was taking her!

"_**Serenity! Wait! Don't go!**_" he'd shouted.

"_**Joey**_!" Serenity had cried out, but their mother didn't stop driving, so Joey had run after the car until his lungs burned, he couldn't run anymore, and he sank to his knees, gasping for breath. The nine-year-old boy had walked home and cleaned up before his dad had returned from work. Jake Wheeler had been furious to find his wife and daughter gone, but that night he hadn't taken out his anger on his young son.

Tonight, however, Jacob Wheeler had beaten his son for no other reason than being there. An eternity ago, it seemed, Joey's dad had been different. An eternity ago, he had been loving and kind.

Seven years earlier, four-year-old Joey looked up at his daddy in amazement. Today was the second time he and his best friend Tristan had gotten into trouble in the whole week. A couple of days ago, a monkey named Curious George had visited the classroom and the two boys thought it would be hilarious if they teased him with the banana pudding they had in their lunch boxes. It wasn't really Joey and Tristan's fault that George had flung his dirty diaper at Miss Zora, hitting her in the face with monkey poo, but Miss Zora hadn't seen the humor in the situation. Joey's and Tristan's parents had been decidedly unhappy, so the boys hadn't been allowed to watch TV when they got home from school.

Today, however, Joey and Tristan _had_ meant to do what they did. They chose to engage in a preemptive strike against Ushio, the biggest, meanest kid in their preschool class. When Miss Zora and Ushio weren't looking, Joey and Tristan had run into the cubby area and stuffed Ushio's baloney sandwich with shredded paper. It seemed a funny way to get back at the bully, but Ushio had declared his displeasure by grabbing the two boys on the playground and hanging them up on the flagpole by their underpants. It took a call to the fire department and two hours to get the four-year-old boys down from the flagpole and less than half an hour for Ushio to get expelled from Kenobi.

Joey had expected a scolding and maybe a spanking from his dad, but Daddy did something unexpected; he laughed. "Joey, that kid has no sense of humor!" Jake said laughing, and took the boys out to ice cream. Joey's mom was worried that the boys had spoiled their dinners, but Joey and Tristan wolfed down a lot of her macaroni casserole, while Joey told two-year-old Serenity about what he saw while up on the flagpole with Tristan.

_Dad was so nice that day,_ eleven-year-old Joey remembered. _Mom and Dad fought, but it seems like after that day, the fights got worse and happened a lot more._ A single tear drifted down his chubby cheek as he remembered a fight not long before Mom and Serenity left…

About two years previously, nine-year-old Joey lay in the darkness of his room, hearing his parents fight. It was bad and getting worse, but Joey hoped that somehow Mom and Dad would stop fighting and stay together. _Big boys don't cry,_ he thought as the tears rolled down his face, _but I can't help it!_ Then the bedroom door creaked open.

"Joey? Big brother, are you awake?" whispered his little sister, Serenity. Joey quickly wiped his eyes and sat up. The little girl with long red hair and dreamy brown eyes was peering around the door with clear fear in her eyes.

"Yeah, I'm awake, Ren," he whispered back as he got out of bed, "what's goin' on?"

The seven-year-old girl hugged her brother tightly and cried softly. "Why do they keep fighting, Joey?" she asked with pain in her eyes.

The boy took a deep breath and let it out before he answered. "I don't know, Serenity. All I know is that they've been fightin' for a long time." And then, the fighting got a lot louder, so Joey held his sister close as the fight got uglier.

"_**You stupid jerk**_!" Elizabeth Wheeler shouted. "_**You're a dirty rotten cheater**_!" _What did Dad cheat at_, Joey wondered. "_**You could've brought something home**_! **Don't you even care**? _**You dirty**_ _**XXXXXXX**_!" Joey's mom used a word that Joey knew was really bad. Joey had heard his father use the word and thought it was a neat word, so he used the word in front of his Grandma Francesca. But Grandma Francesca washed Joey's mouth out with soap after he'd said the new word, and he knew never to use it again.

Now, Joey's father broke in and Joey held his hands over his sister's ears because Jake Wheeler began using some horrible language that the boy instinctively knew his sister shouldn't hear.

"_**You XXXX**_!" Jake Wheeler shouted back. Joey's eyes widened in shock and horror at what his father had just called his mother. "_**You're nothing but a XXXX who XXXXs the whole XXXXXXX town! Who are you to accuse me, you XXXXX?**_"

And then, the little boy and girl heard hitting and their mother's screams, as their father continued to shout incoherently. _I wish there was something I could do, but I'm not big enough. I hate bein' helpless. It'll get better someday. It's gotta get better._

"Serenity?" Joey whispered.

"Yeah, big brother?"

"Let's go to sleep." The two of them climbed into Joey's twin bed, and the little girl cuddled against her brother, almost instantly falling asleep. Joey, though, stayed awake a little longer, kissed the top of his sister's head, crossed himself and began to pray as Mom and Father Pat at St. James Parish had taught him.

"Dear God," the little boy whispered, "I hope You're listening. It's Joey Wheeler in Domino. I don't think I've said this before, but thanks for sending me Serenity a few years ago. I know there are some kids who don't like the baby brothers or sisters You send, but I'm glad You sent me Serenity, 'cause she's great. Anyhow, could You and Jesus and all the saints and angels help us? Mom and Dad keep fighting and Ren and I are too little to do anything to stop it. I'm worried Daddy might hurt Serenity, so could You help keep her safe? Could You help us tonight? In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, Amen." Within two minutes, Joey was fast asleep, holding his sister.

Lying in the darkness of his small bedroom back in the present, Joey realized that God had answered his prayers about keeping Serenity safe from the wrath of their father. Joey saw his father as he guessed his mother must've seen Jake, a drunken womanizing abuser who used what little charms he had to attract various women of ill repute. _If I ever find the right girl, I'll _never _treat her like Dad treated Mom._ The eleven-year-old boy knelt beside his bed in the messy apartment, crossed himself and prayed.

"Dear God, it's Joey again. Thanks for helping Serenity and Mom get away from Dad. I just wish Mom had wanted to take me too. Maybe what Dad says is right. Maybe Mom didn't want me 'cause I'm a pathetic little puppy nobody wants. I know You don't say yes to what people pray for every time, but there's one thing I'd really like You to say yes to. Help me to help Serenity when the time comes, because I know her eyes aren't good and she's going to need help to have them fixed. If You could perform a miracle and fix them, that'd be great, but if You aren't going to do it that way, help me find the right doctor for my sister. If You can also help my dad be better, that'd be great too. In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, amen." As he had at the age of nine, Joseph Aaron Wheeler crawled into his bed and cried himself to sleep.

The next morning, Joey met his friend Tristan to walk to school together, and the hazel-eyed boy looked at the bruise on his friend's face. "What happened, Joey? I thought it was your birthday yesterday."

"Dad forgot, or was too hammered to remember. Don't tell anybody, Tris, okay?" Reluctantly, Tristan nodded, continuing to keep a secret that he'd held since shortly after Elizabeth and Serenity left. But one day, when things changed, Tristan would tell the secret to save Joey's life. One day, things would be different.

_I hope you like my first chapter and interpretation of the past. One realizes these kids would be in a lot of therapy. I do know that Yugi's mom has been seen (not very much), but for the purpose of my story, he is a lovable orphan. For those of you who read the story when it was posted earlier, you know what happened to Mai. I'd love it if you'd read and review!_


	4. Kingdom of Changes Part I

Chapter 2: Kingdom of Changes Part I

_Author's note: I own nothing but the plot, Lisa and non-established characters. This part of the story begins in June 2003, two days before Seto duels Yugi in the US version of the anime. This timeline is for my purposes. Mokuba is almost nine at this point and Seto is nearing sixteen. _

_**Further notes, over five years later:**__ I borrowed the names of two characters from France's __**Code Lyoko**__ as I rather like the show and the characters. Clearly, I don't own that show or its characters._

On a sunny Saturday in early June, Seto James Kaiba was interviewing several different physicians. The teen CEO's purpose in doing so was to find a single doctor that could be trusted to take care of himself and his little brother. He had been sorting through applications for days and seeing applicants for hours and his thoughts drifted…

Another day sitting at my desk in my office. I'm fifteen and the CEO of a multi-national corporation that I tore down and rebuilt from the ashes of an evil man's empire. It's my revenge on _him_ for all he did to me and Mokuba. _Mokuba…_ I protected him from that monster we had to call "father" in public, but who made our lives a living hell in private. That thing is gone now, and I still have my little brother, but I feel… alone. I nearly always feel that way, even when I'm surrounded by people. That doesn't make sense, but not much in my life has really made sense.

I've been up since six this morning, and began interviewing doctors at eight. I want a personal doctor for Mokuba and myself, should I need the services of said doctor. I don't tend to see doctors because illness is a weakness I can't afford, and secondly… I don't like _any_ of my weaknesses to be revealed.

Hmmm… It's 4:15. I wonder if the last applicant of the day is here. I'll take a look at the security screens. She's here early. That's good because the last applicant was fifteen minutes late. Needless to say, he's not getting the job. Being early helps this new applicant… what's her name? Ah, Lisa A. Hammond. She's my age and an MD. I've heard she's almost as smart as I am. But let's see if she's any good.

I wait another few minutes, then my intercom buzzes. I answer, "Yes, Yumi?"

"Mr. Kaiba, the last applicant is here. Shall I send her in?"

"Go ahead." I turn toward the window for a moment, hear the door open and turn back.

_Ruby Blue as performed by Roisin Murphy_

I look at her, and for a few seconds, I feel my mind go blank. Once my mind comes back online, I concentrate on really looking at the young woman. She's not gorgeous, but her appearance is striking. She has blonde-brown wavy hair that goes nearly to her chin, an oval face with a nice-looking nose, full lips and wide eyes, though I can't tell the color of them. She has a curvy figure like old Hollywood movie actresses, so she's neither too heavy, nor too light. She seems to almost glide across my office.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Kaiba, I'm Lisa Hammond," she introduces herself pleasantly, extending her hand. I take her hand and shake it gently.

"Good afternoon, Doctor," I answer pleasantly. What the heck? Since when am I, Seto James "Oh Spectacularly Grumpy One" Kaiba, as that blonde kid at Domino High calls me, pleasant? Maybe it's Doctor Hammond's smile. It's a genuinely kind smile that reaches her eyes. Or maybe it's her voice. Her way of speaking is sultry and soothing at the same time, and her accent is one I can't really place. I read that she's from Washington state, but she doesn't really sound like she's from there.

She sits down and I ask her questions about her experience, how she'd like to be treated if she's hired, and how she thinks the chain of command works. "Mr. Kaiba, I believe in a chain of command that's flexible."

"What does that mean?" I ask. She doesn't flinch when I stare at her hard.

"A flexible chain of command, sir, means that those at the top are willing to take tips from those below them. In other words, for example, if I know you're sick and I can make you, I make sure you can't work until you're sufficiently recovered."

"Why would you expect that?" I ask, intrigued.

"First, it is my duty to keep you healthy. Secondly, Mr. Kaiba, if you're sick, you might make mistakes negotiating a business deal."

_She has a point,_ I realize somewhat grudgingly. _I've heard it before… from Mokuba._ I have to admit to myself that she's right. "So if I'm sick or my brother's sick, what would you do to make us well?" She gazes back at me intently, and I see the color of her eyes. They're a shade of blue that I see when I look out the window and for some reason, I feel as if I've seen her eyes before. But I know I haven't met her before, so it's not possible.

She answers, "Depending on what you were sick with, I'd try lots of bed rest and natural treatments before I'd unleash a shock and awe campaign on your systems."

"Why's that?"

"I'm a believer in letting a person's natural immunities do a lot of the work. There is a tendency to overmedicate in our society and I've found it's better not to do that. I'd rather test you and be sure I'm treating for the right problem."

I like her answers, partly because she and I seem to be in sync about medication and partly because I think she's saying not what I want to hear but what she genuinely thinks is right. I find myself looking at her rather slender neck, then down to her… _Stop looking at her…_ assets, _Seto!_ She's wearing a bright pink top with ¾ sleeves and a v-neck that reveals a little cleavage. I hope she hasn't noticed my less-than-professional interest, get up and head to the small bar in my office.

"Doctor, would you like a drink?" I get a glass of Perrier for myself.

"Water, please, Mr. Kaiba," she answers, so I pour a glass of it for Dr. Hammond too. "And if you'd prefer, sir, please call me Lisa."

"Lisa, then. Would you like some crackers or carrot sticks?" I'd guess she might be a little hungry, since the interview is fairly late in the afternoon.

"Yes, thank you. Will I get to meet your brother today?" _Crap._ I should've called him in earlier than this! What is wrong with me?! I pick up a bottle of tropical fruit-flavored water for Mokuba while I'm at the bar—if that kid had his way, all he'd drink is soda or chocolate milk!—and bring Lisa the plate of crackers and carrots, as well as her water. Then I tap the intercom.

"Yumi?"

"Yes, Mr. Kaiba?"

"Please send Mokuba in."

"Yes, sir." The door opens and Mokuba comes bounding in with a happy smile on his face.

"Hi, big brother!" Lisa stands.

"Mokuba, this is Doctor Lisa Hammond. Lisa, this is Mokuba." She bends down to his level and offers her hand, which he shakes.

"Pleased to meet you, Mokuba. You can call me Lisa," she says. To my surprise, Mokuba knows a few things about her, such as she's adopted. Mokuba slips and nearly mentions about how Gozaburo made our lives horrible, but Lisa mentions a little about her life. She's not an only child because her parents adopted a boy about five years before they got her, but she says he's her brother just the same.

They chat for about fifteen minutes mostly about what interests Mokuba, and seem to get along really well. Of all the applicants, Lisa is low on overall experience, but she has otherwise good qualifications and seems to genuinely like my brother. He seems to like her and— what is wrong with me?— I find myself liking her too.

"Lisa," I say when they reach a break in the conversation, "I'd like to speak privately with my brother for a few minutes. I'll call you in after that."

"All right. Umm… Mr. Kaiba, could you please direct me to a ladies' room? I need to freshen up," she says, flushing a little bit. I call Yumi and have her take Lisa to the executive washroom. Mokuba looks up at me in surprise.

"Big brother, you never send anybody to that bathroom."

"Mokuba," I ask as if he hasn't spoken, "What do you think of Lisa?"

Mokuba looks very shy, but says, "I think she's awfully nice, Seto."

"Are there any other applicants you like better than her?"

"No, not really."

"Would you like her for your doctor, then?" I ask. My little brother gets a rather happy expression on his face and I know from experience he's restraining himself from cheering.

"Yes," he says, "yes, I would."

"All right, then. She's hired. Yumi," I call on the intercom, "as soon as Dr. Hammond returns, send her in."

"Yes, sir." We wait for about ten minutes and finally Yumi escorts Lisa back into the office.

Mokuba and I stand as the doctor enters. As she comes up to us, I hold out my hand. "You're hired," I say without preamble. "Welcome to Kaiba Corp," and I shake her hand vigorously. Mokuba then hugs her, unable to restrain himself anymore.

"I liked you best of all the doctors we saw!"

She smiles, blushes a little and says, "Well, I like you too, Mokuba." She hugs him back, then releases to take a look at the contract I give her and signs it. I've agreed to her terms and also given her one of the highest salaries in the company. When I'm sick, she can make me stop working if she has to. She has considerable power, and these feelings I'm having are a weakness I can't afford, so I hope I don't regret this.

Y

As Seto Kaiba examined his own thoughts, a young doctor was also in an introspective mood…

It's 4:10, about twenty minutes to my interview. I am standing outside one of the tallest buildings in Domino City because I am interviewing to become a doctor to the little brother of one of the youngest CEOs in the nation. I'm not sure I'm really good enough for this. I always wonder if I'm truly good enough as I'm billed… "Lisa the Genius," "Lisa-the-brilliant-youngest-doctor-in-America," and to some who've seen my reserve, "Lisa the Stodgy." Sometimes I tire of being "Lisa the Brain."

I can't believe Scout, Jayda, Darla and Hiro put me up to this! "Yeah, Lisa, it'll be a great opportunity," Scout tells me.

_I don't see you doing this, Scout,_ I think grumpily. I know she has my best interests in mind, but I wish she'd remember how nervous I can get. I'm glad I could dress casually for this interview. I take a good look at myself in the reflection of a window. I guess I look okay after my jog, so I head into the building.

I like the décor in here. It's not too modern, but not nauseatingly ornate, either. It's balanced and calm. I ask the receptionist the way to Mr. Kaiba's office and she directs me to the elevator and the top floor. I look at the view of the Pacific, but rather than enjoy the scenery, I hope and pray God only notices just how nervous I am. As I exit the elevator, I look up at the digital clock display… 4:15. I'm fifteen minutes early to the interview, and I hope that's an edge I'll have.

"Good afternoon," I say to the secretary, a lovely Asian woman who looks to be in her twenties. "I'm Lisa Hammond, I'm here for the interview."

"All right. You're early," she says. "That's good. The last applicant was fifteen minutes late. I'm Yumi Ishiyama, by the way, pleased to meet you." I shake her hand, noticing the engagement ring sparkling on her finger.

"Did you get engaged recently?"

"Oh, yes," she answers, "Ulrich, my boyfriend, asked me a month ago."

"Congratulations." We chat for a couple of minutes and then she goes back to work.

I take a folder out of my bag and open it to look at the information on my potential patient and employers. _Hmm…_ Both boys were adopted by Gozaburo Kaiba. Their biological father killed himself when Seto was eleven and Mokuba was four. How horrible! And then… Gozaburo killed himself in front of Seto?! Oh, that poor guy! _Oh, Lord, if I am meant to have this job, help me to help these boys, and help me to use the powers You've given me to do so._

Not too many people know that I have special powers. These abilities I have began to appear when I was a baby. Mom thought she was going nuts when toys she knew were on a high shelf ended up in my playpen. Finally, she borrowed a camcorder from her brother, my uncle, and caught me on tape getting a stuffed toy from the shelf using telekinesis. And then my dad saw me get his Porsche keys in the same way.

My brother, Eddie said that he got a Jedi for a little sister, and ever since then, my family and I have figured out certain things about my powers using prayer, guesswork and patience. Daddy says God gave me these powers for a reason, so I need to learn to use them for His glory. I am somewhat telepathic and very empathic, which means I can sense thoughts and emotions. I know I haven't got complete control, because I can't move big things like Yoda did in _The Empire Strikes Back_ and catching big things when they are falling is a challenge.

"Lisa?" Yumi says, interrupting my thoughts, "Mr. Kaiba is ready to see you now. Good luck!"

"Thanks, Yumi," I answer, smiling as I head into the office. I see a door open and catch a glimpse of a small raven-haired child. The door slams quickly, and I enter the office and behold the young billionaire. He's looking out the window as I enter, and then looks back at me. _Oh, my…_ He's even more handsome in person. He looks like a cross between Patrick Swayze, Ewan MacGregor, Val Kilmer and a young Leonard Nimoy, with the addition of ruddy brown hair which offsets his amazing blue eyes. He's wearing a white suit with a blue dress shirt and blue tie, but from what I can sense, he hasn't dressed to impress or intimidate. Those eyes of his… They remind me of the lake where I grew up during a clear, windy day in March, when the lake still looks cold but is warmed by the early spring sun.

_Focus, Lisa!_ "Dr. Hammond," he asks me, "what is your experience in medicine?"

"Mr. Kaiba, I was trained at the University of Washington and interned at Children's Hospital and Swedish Medical Center. I have been at Domino Children's Hospital and occasionally Domino General Hospital for a year and a half. I'm a general practitioner with specialties in pediatric medicine."

"Okay," he says, and asks me a few other questions, including how I would treat him if he were sick. He likes the answers I'm giving, and then I see his gaze moving from my face to my… _Oh, dear. _Perhaps this shirt wasn't such a good idea. He finds me attractive, but I am not good looking enough to garner attention from a multi-billionaire, am I? He's also surprised he's being pleasant.

Mr. Kaiba then asks me if I'd like a drink and some snacks. "Yes, thank you. Will I get to meet your brother today?" _Crap_, I hear very clearly. He's got a lot on his mind, so he's probably distracted by matters other than me. He calls in his little brother and a minute later, I get a full look at the same raven-haired kid that peeked out of the other door earlier.

"Hi, big brother!" he says happily, bounding into the office. Mokuba Richard Kaiba looks like an angel, but I can sense he's got a bit of the devil in him. Mr. Kaiba introduces us, and I shake the younger boy's hand. _She's younger than Seto,_ I hear clearly (again), _but I thought she'd look older._

"You're the doctor from Seattle who's kind of like my brother," he says.

"Well, how am I like your brother, Mokuba?"

"I've heard you're about as smart as he is, and you're also adopted. But I think your experience was different than ours." The little boy reddens in the cheeks, feeling like he's said too much, and Mr. Kaiba is tensing up.

So I answer Mokuba, "Yeah, because I was adopted as a baby and I didn't have a big brother who came with me."

"But you have a big brother."

"Yup. But he was also adopted as a baby from a different part of the country."

"But doesn't that mean he's not really your brother?"

"Mokuba," I say carefully, "just because Eddie's not my biological brother doesn't mean he's any less my brother. He's the brother I've known and loved, and that's what makes us family."

"Okay," he says, relaxing, and I sense Mr. Kaiba relaxing too. The bond between these boys is very strong.

Mokuba and I talk for a while about his life, what he likes at school, games he plays and other non-earthshaking matters. _Oh, snap!_ I realize I shouldn't have drunk that smoothie earlier, because I've really got to go to the bathroom!

"Lisa," Mr. Kaiba says, "I'd like to speak to my brother privately for a few minutes. I'll call you in after that." I then ask for directions to the bathroom. "I'll have Yumi take you to the restroom," he says, and calls her in.

He tells her where to take me, and she looks surprised as we exit the office. "He told me to take you to the executive washroom, Lisa. He never does that! I think he might want to hire you!" I'm speechless.

I head into the bathroom and do what I have to do. The stall I'm in is spacious, and has a full-length mirror. I straighten my outfit, and look at myself for a minute. _I could really stand to lose a few pounds_. I head out of the stall to the sink where I wash my hands and touch up my makeup. Then, a tall man emerges from one of the other stalls and washes his hands. He looks like a lanky version of Colonel Sanders, but with wheat hair, a goatee, eyes like flint and without cordiality. I sense dark intent from him, and he gives me the creeps. He notices me, so I introduce myself.

"Hello there. I'm Lisa Hammond." I hold my hand out, but instead of shaking it, he suavely kisses my knuckles.

"I am Mr. Albert Lechtor," he says in a Tennessee accent. "Are you interviewin' for the doctor's job, miss?"

"Yes, sir, I am." He bows politely like I've seen in old movies.

"Then I wish you luck, young lady. You'll need it," he says, smiling like a predator. I feel a palpable sense of foreboding as he leaves, and though I can't tell exactly what he's thinking, I can tell he means to hurt someone. I wish my abilities to tell when bad things are about to happen were stronger.

I head back to Mr. Kaiba's office and Yumi is waiting for me. "He's ready; get in there!" she says. So I walk right into the office. Mr. Kaiba and Mokuba stand as I enter, and the older Kaiba comes to me.

"You're hired," he says. "Welcome to Kaiba Corp." He shakes my hand, and then Mokuba hugs me.

"I liked you best of all the doctors we saw!"

I can't help smiling, and say, "Well, I like you too, Mokuba, Just remember that you like me when I've got to give you icky medicine and shots, okay?"

"Done." Mr. Kaiba seems to be enjoying this, and hands me a contract which I carefully read and sign. Shortly thereafter, I walk back to Domino Children's to tell my friends the good news.

YGO YGO YGO YGO

Lisa walked back to Domino Children's Hospital in an incredibly good mood. _Thank you, Lord!_ she thought happily.

Meanwhile, at Domino Children's, in the doctors' locker room, four doctors nervously awaited their child colleague. "Oh, man," Darla Truesdale groaned, "we put her up to this! What if she didn't get the job?" Darla was an OB-GYN and a neo-natal specialist at the hospital. She had blue hair which was presently pulled back into a bun and calm grey eyes which needed the aid of a pair of spectacles.

"Darla, she had to do this! It'll be so sweet if she gets the job!" Jayda Yuki exclaimed. Jayda was a pediatric oncologist and had brown hair with red highlights and sparkling brown eyes. "She totally deserves this!"

"'Deserves' might be a little strong, Jayda, but I hope she gets it, too," Jean Louise Rhodes, also known as Scout, stated. Scout was a pleasingly plump woman with dark brown hair and rich brown eyes. She was a gifted pediatric surgeon who had saved the lives of many children in the city of Domino.

"I suppose we'll know soon enough," commented ophthalmologist Hiro Misawa, a rather handsome man with grey hair and eyes who'd trained in England and at Johns Hopkins Medical School and the Wilmer Eye Institute.

Five minutes later, Lisa Hammond sauntered into the locker room. "Hey, guys," she greeted.

"Well?" Scout asked.

"Don't keep us in suspense," said Hiro.

"Lisa, this is too sweet! You've gotta tell us!" Jayda exclaimed, practically jumping up and down.

"Oh, man, Leese! Tell us already," pleaded Darla.

"Well," Lisa said softly, head down, "I don't know how to tell you guys this, but…" and then she looked up with a grin on her face, "_**I got the job**_!" And people within 150 feet of the locker room heard the cheers.

YGO YGO YGO YGO

Two days later, Seto James Kaiba dueled Solomon Muto and then the old man's grandson, Yugi. To his horror, Seto lost the duel with Yugi. Seto didn't take losing terribly well, Lisa noted, and spent the next two months in a blue funk because he'd been beaten by someone who'd just turned fifteen and had never professionally dueled. The teen CEO decided not to participate in the Duelist Kingdom Duel Monsters tournament, and three days before the tournament was to start, elected to take a short trip.

He notified Lisa that he would be gone and would she check on Mokuba? Lisa promised to do so, and went to check on the little boy the next day at Kaiba Corp. When Lisa arrived the next day, she found out that Mokuba was gone. Mr. Lechtor informed the teen doctor that Mokuba had been invited to and Mr. Kaiba had given permission to attend the Duelist Kingdom tourney. While outwardly the girl accepted the explanation, Lisa knew that those men were lying. Deceit radiated from them like waves. She knew the little boy had been kidnapped, but all she could do was wait and pray.

_That's the end of Chapter Two! I know I may be assuming certain things about Seto Kaiba, but I hope I'm right that he might be interested in a woman's… um… more tangible attributes. Read and review… please?_


	5. Kingdom of Changes Part II

Chapter III: Kingdom of Changes Part II

_Hi, classic Yu-Gi-Oh fans! Thanks to Glimerofhope, Failingwithstyle and The Akemi Queen of Sakia for their reviews and an additional thank you to The Akemi Queen for making this a favorite story! This story is pretty complicated, I'll admit. Between the backgrounds I've given the main characters and Lisa's, this is a very complicated tale with a great deal of foreshadowing. For those of you who read the story when I first posted it, you'll know it's long. I hope it is interesting in a good way. As I posted, I take anonymous reviews, so don't hesitate to offer suggestions. With a repost, nothing is set in stone._

_I own nothing but the plot, Lisa and non-established characters. © Peach Wookiee Tales, 2007. _

_**Author's notes about six years later: **__Some minor tweaks. _

The Duelist Kingdom tournament lasted nearly three days. At the end of the fourth day, Lisa had heard that Mr. Kaiba and Mokuba had returned and were at the Kaiba Corp complex. She raced toward the main building, medical bag in hand, when she saw Mokuba being carried from the lab complex by a blonde boy who was being trailed by four other teenagers. Lisa changed direction and shouted, "Mokuba? Are you okay?"

"Who're you?" Mokuba's carrier demanded. "You aren't with the suits, are ya?!"

Lisa held up her ID as she got close. "My name's Lisa Hammond, and I'm his doctor."

Mokuba barely lifted his head, and said weakly, "It's okay, Joey. She's my doctor. Hi, Lisa…" His head sank back again so it was resting against Joey's chest.

"Sorry, Doc. Joey Wheeler," the blonde boy introduced himself, looking a little sheepish.

"It's cool, Joey. I'm glad you were keeping an eye out for him."

Then the other teens introduced themselves as the group headed back to the main building. "Mai Valentine. Nice to meet you, Doctor," a tall blonde girl with amethyst eyes and wearing a purple miniskirt and jacket offered, shaking Lisa's hand.

"Tristan Taylor," a tall boy with brown pointed hair and warm hazel brown eyes said, also shaking the doctor's hand.

"Teà Gardner," said the brown-haired blue-eyed girl. "Nice to meet you, Doctor Hammond."

Then the spiky-haired boy who only stood about as high as Mokuba introduced himself. "I'm Yugi M-muto. Nice to meet you, Doctor."

Lisa gently clapped the boy on the shoulder. "Please, everybody, call me Lisa." They got into the main building, and Lisa had Joey lay Mokuba onto a couch in the lobby. "Now, what happened, exactly?" she asked as she pulled out her stethoscope, blood pressure gauge and ear thermometer. Joey had covered the little boy with his own uniform jacket to keep Mokuba warm.

"Well," Yugi began, "I guess it started when Kaiba and Mokuba got back here about two hours ago. They came here to fire the board of directors, but the board had other plans. They trapped Kaiba in a virtual video game and were probably gonna kill him. Mokuba got away and ran to my grandpa's game shop to see if we could help him and his brother. The board was willing to kill anybody who got in their way."

"Mai was testin' the game," Joey continued, "and we think it was so those suits knew the game would work when Kaiba got in."

"How does the game work?" Lisa asked, and Joey explained. The girl smiled. _It sounds like __**The Legend of Zelda**__,_ _complete with the princess who's in trouble_, she thought but wisely didn't say.

"So," Joey said, "those guys were ready to whack us like Tony Soprano! Me and Mai got blasted, then they whacked Moks, and then I guess Yuge and Kaiba whacked them."

"I just don't understand how anybody could be so bad," Yugi Muto said softly, lower lip trembling. "I just don't." Lisa then used her abilities to sense Yugi, and she was surprised by what she found in the spiky-haired teen boy. She sensed a soothing, gentle presence and then sensed something else.

_Yugi, people can be cruel without reason,_ a voice that sounded like the boy but older sent to him.

_I know, Yami, but I'll never really understand why, _Yugi sent back. The other presence, Lisa realized, was counseling the diminutive teen boy. She quickly withdrew from the mind before she could be detected as she completed her examination of the nine-year-old boy lying on the couch in front of her.

"Hmm, Mokuba, I'm afraid you're going to be out of school a few days. You've got a fever," Lisa said.

"Wha's going on?" he asked groggily.

"I think you caught a bug, sweetie. Let's go get your brother and take you home, okay?" The little boy nodded weakly and tried to sit up but just couldn't muster the strength. So Joey moved quickly and scooped the little boy up in his arms. "Has he thrown up at all?" Lisa asked.

"Yeah," Tristan answered. "He was just going to go find his brother when he said he felt dizzy, then threw up and almost collapsed. He didn't seem sick when he came to the game shop, but he was cold, wet and scared."

"He's really feelin' hot, Leese. Is he gonna be okay?" Joey asked frowning with concern as the group piled onto the elevator.

Lisa tapped the button which led to the top floor of the office building, and answered, "He'll be all right in a few days. This just seems like a really bad flu bug." The view from the elevator was incredible on this night after a rainstorm, but no one was paying attention. The kids burst out of the elevator when it finally opened and headed toward the office. Then Lisa heard the unmistakable sound of Mokuba gagging, and Joey sprinting to the nearest bathroom. Fortunately for Joey, he made it to the bathroom with Mokuba in time.

Lisa and the other kids headed down to the boardroom and found a stunned Seto Kaiba standing near the conference table where his five board members were slumped over, clearly unconscious. He turned around, hearing the footsteps, noticed the doctor and said, "Umm… Doctor… I got in here and they were… like this."

"Any idea how long they've been like this?" she asked, moving to examine them.

"Probably since before I got up here," he answered, then noticing Yugi and his friends, queried, "What are you geeks doing up here?"

Lisa's eyebrows raised, wondering at her employer's apparent hostility. She sensed uncertainty from him. _He isn't sure how to cope with people_, she realized, _so he pushes them away._

Yugi Muto, however, didn't seem put off by this and responded, "We came up with Mokuba and Lisa, Kaiba."

Seto quickly realized his brother wasn't with the group and paled. "Where's my brother?"

"He's in the bathroom, Kaiba. He got really sick to his stomach, and Joey carried him in there." Seto moved quickly past the group and down the hall. Lisa moved quickly to his side and both were at the men's room door.

Seto could hear the unmistakable sound of his little brother retching, as could Lisa. "Mr. Kaiba," she asked softly, "would you like me to..?"

"Please get in there," he answered. Lisa sensed he didn't want Joey seeing him so worried.

Lisa pushed the door opened and called, "Joey? Is everything all right in there?" Joey poked his blonde head out of the handicapped stall.

"The little guy's pretty sick, Leese. I'm holdin' his hair back." Lisa walked into the bathroom to the stall and entered. Mokuba had just finished emptying the contents of his stomach and was feeling lousy. Joey was holding up the little boy because Mokuba could barely stand.

"Hey, Mokuba. How about we get your mouth washed out?" Lisa asked softly. Mokuba nodded weakly, making a slight moaning sound. Joey carried him over to the sink and Lisa filled a paper cup with water. She brought it to Mokuba's lips, and the little boy sipped, swished and spit out the water into the sink. She walked back to Mokuba's stall, flushed the toilet, and exited the bathroom with the teen and child.

Seto, standing next to the bathroom door, held his arms out and took Mokuba from Joey's arms without a word and went over to a bench, sitting down and holding his brother like a baby. "Thanks, guys," Lisa said, walking over to the elevator with the group. "Is there school tomorrow?"

"Yeah," Yugi answered, "should we bring Kaiba's homework?"

"That'd be really sweet of you, Yugi. But if you all just want to come over to cheer Mokuba up, that'd be nice. Now all of you should get home. And Joey?"

"Yeah, Doc?"

"Thanks for being such a good nurse."

"No prob," he grinned as he got into the elevator.

"She seems really nice," Teà remarked as the group rode the elevator down to the ground floor.

"Yeah," Mai responded. "I've heard something about her. Apparently, she's fifteen and she came here to Domino about a year or so ago."

"Where's she from, Mai?" Yugi asked.

"Seattle. As far as brains are concerned, she's practically in Kaiba's league."

"Yeah, but she doesn't seem like an arrogant jerk," Joey pointed out, as Tristan nodded agreement.

"I've heard she doesn't have a lot of friends, though," Mai added.

Teà sighed sadly at this. "Not a lot of friends? That's sad."

As Team Yugi went home, paramedics rode up the other elevator with gurneys to take the former Kaiba Corp board of directors to five waiting ambulances. Lisa was standing by the elevator doors when they opened. "In here," she directed. Over the next half-hour, the insensate forms of Albert Lechtor, Adrian Krump, Gerald Johnson, Charles Nezbit and William Gansley were wheeled out of the boardroom and taken to Domino Cypress Sinai Hospital. Within four days, all five men would be dead.

As soon as the paramedics left with the last board member, Lisa sat down on the bench next to her patient and the patient's big brother. "Mr. Kaiba, we need to get Mokuba home. He's going to be home for a few days with this bug."

"Lisa, would it be possible for you to stay with us a few days until he's recovered?" the teenage boy asked.

"Certainly," she answered. "Could you call ahead to your house and make sure Mokuba has clean sheets on his bed, that his room is aired and that it's sprayed with aerosol disinfectant?" Seto nodded, and made a quick phone call on his cell phone.

Then he stood, and said softly to his little brother, "Mokie, let's go home, okay?" Mokuba made a soft moaning sound, and Seto stood up.

"Whose jacket is this?" he asked Lisa.

"Oh, that's Joey's jacket," she said, realizing. "He must've forgotten it. He covered Mokuba up so he wouldn't get a chill."

"Wheeler's jacket." Seto looked thoughtful for a minute, pulled the jacket off his brother, and then wrapped Mokuba in his own trench coat.

Lisa held Joey's jacket, and noticed that it was a bit dirty. _I'll get it cleaned,_ she resolved, checking the tag.

Just as the two teens and small child were preparing to get on the elevator, two figures emerged from the stairs. "Mr. Kaiba," said the first man, tall with black hair graying at the temples, a mustache and dark glasses, "I'm Roland Isono. Are you all right, sir?"

"You were in the general security detail. You just got promoted. Who's this?" Seto asked, indicating the other man, bulky with brown hair, a goatee and dark glasses.

"I'm Bryce Fischer, sir. I work with Roland."

"You've earned a promotion, too, then, because my brother and I need bodyguards. Follow me." The bodyguards followed the kids into the elevator, and Lisa sensed the two men. They had had nothing to do with the insurrection, and were loyal to their young boss and his brother, so she breathed a mental sigh of relief.

The limo was waiting at the front of the building, so as soon as they exited the elevator, the teen CEO carried his brother to it and climbed in, followed by the young doctor. The bodyguards got into the front of the limousine, and they were off to the mansion. Lisa grabbed an ice bucket, just in case Mokuba got carsick. Sure enough… "Big brother?" Mokuba groaned softly to his brother.

"Yeah, Mokuba?"

"I think I'm gonna…!" And the little boy started to gag. Lisa held the bucket to the nine-year-old and he threw up. Fortunately, there wasn't much in Mokuba's stomach so he mostly had dry heaves.

As soon as the limo arrived at the Kaiba mansion, Seto Kaiba got out and carried his feverish, nauseous, sweaty, weak little brother into the house. Lisa headed to a bathroom on the ground floor and washed out the makeshift barf bucket. She then headed upstairs to Mokuba's bedroom. Roland was standing outside the door. "He's got Mokuba on the bed. Bryce is patrolling outside."

"Thank you, Roland. I'll go in." Lisa headed into the bedroom and saw Mr. Kaiba sitting on the edge of his brother's bed, Mokuba in a semi-conscious state and rather sweaty. "Mr. Kaiba, I'm going to get a bath started for Mokuba. Could you get him undressed, please?"

"Sure," the CEO said, pulling his brother into a sitting position. "C'mon, kiddo. Let's get you into the bath Lisa's fixing for you…"

Meanwhile, Lisa headed into Mokuba's bathroom and started the bathtub. She made sure the water was warm and added some eucalyptus-scented vapor bath to the water. The tub finished filling, so Lisa turned off the tap and then headed back into the bedroom. The scene that greeted her eyes was Mr. Kaiba attempting to get his brother undressed while using one arm to keep the little boy propped up. Mokuba, being half-asleep, wasn't a very cooperative patient. "Would you like a hand?" Lisa asked.

"Yes, please," Seto answered. "Thank you, Lisa." She grabbed Mokuba's bright blue terrycloth bathrobe, set it on his bed, and then helped undress him. Seto put the bathrobe on Mokuba, while Lisa pulled a bright red hair band from her bag. She pulled the little boy's long black hair into a bun. "Umm… Lisa?"

"Yes, Mr. Kaiba?"

"Why are you pulling my brother's hair back with a _girl's_ hair band?"

"It doesn't need to get wet, and he doesn't need to get a chill because of a wet head," she answered.

"Okay," he said, understanding, and carried his brother into the bathroom.

Roland, eager to help, got Mokuba a clean set of pajamas and underwear while his employer and the young doctor bathed the small sick boy. Inside the bathroom, Seto Kaiba bathed his little brother as a parent bathes his child. "You do that like a pro, Mr. Kaiba," she said.

"I've taken care of him practically since he was born," the teen boy answered. "That was a good idea with the scrunchie, by the way."

"Thanks." Lisa grabbed a fluffy white towel and Seto pulled his brother out of the bathtub. Together, they toweled Mokuba off, put him into his robe and then Seto carried the small boy to his bed. Lisa held Mokuba up while Seto dressed the small boy in clean Blue Eyes White Dragon briefs and his favorite blue pajamas.

"Mr. Kaiba?" Lisa asked. "Do you have any diet ginger ale in the house?"

"Yes. Why?"

"Roland?"

"Yes, Lisa?"

"Could you please run downstairs and get a glass of diet ginger ale for Mokuba? I need it to get his medicine down him." Roland nodded, and headed downstairs. "Ginger ale will also help with his stomach and get some fluids down him," she added to Seto.

He nodded, intrigued. "Where'd you learn that?"

"My mom," she answered, "she's the one who taught me a lot of more natural methods." Roland returned, and Lisa took some fever reliever from her bag. Seto propped the little boy up, and Lisa got Mokuba to take his medicine. The boy barely opened his eyes while he took his medicine, and fell back to sleep as soon as his brother lay him back down. Seto covered his brother with a blanket, and dismissed Roland for the evening.

"Will he be okay?" Seto asked.

"Yeah, but it'll take a few days. This is a nasty virus he's got," she answered. "His fever's a little higher than I'd like to see, so I'll stay in here with him."

"Would you like me to show you to your room before you settle in for the evening?"

"Yes, Mr. Kaiba, thank you." The two teenagers walked out of Mokuba's bedroom and down the hall. Lisa admittedly hadn't been raised in privilege, but she'd been in rich people's homes before. However, this was the first time she'd stayed in a rich family's home. The billionaire led her to a bedroom two rooms down from Mokuba's room and three rooms down and across from his own.

Lisa's guestroom was beautiful. _This is bigger than the second floor of my townhouse,_ she realized. She hoped she wasn't acting like a slack-jawed yokel as she looked at the room. It was decorated in shades of her favorite color.

"I heard purple was your favorite color, is that right, Lisa?" Seto said.

"Yes, Mr. Kaiba," she answered, "it is."

"Good. And Lisa?"

"Yes, Mr. Kaiba?"

"I'd prefer it if you called me Seto… since I'm addressing you by your first name and you're a guest in my home," he said, first in a relaxed tone, then in a more formal tone.

She noticed two faint pink streaks in her employer's face, and felt what she had the day he'd interviewed her. _He _is _interested in me. Oh, boy…_ "All right then, Seto," she said in a casual, friendly tone. The bed was a California King, covered with a purple silk duvet banded with lavender silk. The bed itself was made of rosewood, as was the rest of the furniture in the bedroom.

Seto took her to the walk-in closet which led to the bathroom. "There are nightshirts, pajamas and nightgowns in these two drawers," he said, indicating two drawers to her left. "There are undergarments in these drawers, and you should be able to find some outfits in this closet to suit you."

"Seto," she asked, flushing a bit, "umm… if I may ask, how could you supply clothing for me that could possibly fit?"

"I had people examine the backgrounds of each doctor that placed his or her name in the running for being Mokuba's doctor as well as clothing sizes so that if there was an emergency, that person could come here and have what she needs." Lisa went to the jeans in the closet and noted the size of them as well as the make.

"You've done well," she said as she turned back to him, eyebrow raised.

"Good," he said in a calm tone that belied his relief.

Then they entered the bathroom. Thus far, she'd avoided gasping in awe, but now… "Oh, my," she said softly. The bathroom had a bathtub big enough to fit three people comfortably and a shower big enough to fit four people. It was decorated with white granite countertops and white marble shot through with amethyst and sapphire quartz. There were fluffy lavender bath towels, as well as an assortment of bathrobes and of course, top-of-the-line bath gels, shampoos, conditioners and other bath things that Lisa enjoyed.

She was blushing the color of pink spring roses, and Seto didn't help the situation by saying, "I take it the bathroom meets with your approval."

"Yes, Seto," she answered, blushing an even deeper shade of pink, "I really like this bathroom." _Oh, smurf, I sound like a frooping dork, _she thought.

Then, oddly enough, Seto's thoughts came to her loud and clear. _She likes it here. What is going on with me that I even care?!_

"If you can find what you need," he said stiffly, "I'll be in my office then in my bedroom, if you need me."

"Yes, sir. Thank you very much. Good night."

"Good night, Lisa," he said and exited the room. Lisa then headed back into the closet and selected a pair of royal purple silk pajamas and some fuzzy slipper socks because it was a cool night. She quietly padded down the hall to Mokuba's room and then pulled a chair close to his bed. She checked his temperature, which had dropped slightly, then got a cold compress and placed it on his forehead.

Lisa took a quick look at the clock. _Hmm, it's 11:00 PM_. She settled into the chair and relaxed.

Four hours later, Seto James Kaiba found himself the victim of insomnia. He always worried when Mokuba got sick, and though the logical part of him knew the little boy would be okay, Seto dreaded waking up and finding his little brother had died. _I'm not going to class or work tomorrow. Not with a sick brother_, he resolved. The elder Kaiba sat up, got out of bed and headed to his brother's bedroom. The door was open, so he quietly slipped in and beheld a very peaceful tableau.

The bedroom was softly illuminated by moonlight, so the sleeping Mokuba looked like an angel and a light smile touched the CEO's lips. "Lisa?" he whispered, then stopped. She was sound asleep in the chair next to the bed, and at first he thought about waking her. Then he noticed the card next to her, tracing Mokuba's dropping body temperature. She'd last taken his temperature a little over an hour ago, so she must've just fallen asleep. She looked rather pretty in those silk pajamas but, Seto noted, she looked a little chilled. He tiptoed over to a linen closet in his brother's bedroom, pulled out a grey, fuzzy micro fleece blanket and covered the young doctor from chest to feet in it. She stirred slightly, but didn't wake. "Sleep well, Lisa," he said and pulled up a chair next to hers, resolving to stay awake until morning. However, Seto James Kaiba fell asleep within ten minutes, his upper half sprawled across Mokuba's bed.

_It's a bit fluffy, I think, but I think my writing style is fluffy. I hope Seto's still cold enough for you. He won't warm up to Lisa too quickly, I think…Thanks in advance for reviewing!_


	6. Lowering the Shields Ch 4 Pt I

Chapter IV, Part I: Lowering the Shields

_I own nothing but the plot, Lisa, and non-established characters. © Peach Wookiee Tales, 2007._

_**Author's note, over five years later: **__Just some minor tweaks here and there._

When Lisa Hammond awoke, sunlight was gently coming through the windows of Mokuba Kaiba's bedroom. _I must've fallen asleep_, she thought. The last time she'd looked at the clock on the nightstand, it was 2:00. It was now 8:00, and then she realized she was pleasantly warm. _Who put the blanket on..? Oh, Seto,_ she understood, seeing the teen CEO asleep next to her, his upper half lying across his little brother's bed. Lisa smiled at the sweet scene, then took Mokuba's temperature. It had dropped to 101.5° F, still higher than it should be, but greatly improved from where it had been. She woke the little boy long enough to give him a new dose of fever reliever, and let him drift back to sleep.

At 8:05, Seto awoke. "Good morning, Seto," Lisa whispered. "He's just had his medicine, and I think the best course of action is to just let him sleep."

"Good morning, Lisa," he whispered back, then looked at the clock. "Oh, crap, I have to call Domino High and Domino Elementary. I'll be right back." He quickly left the room and made a few phone calls, adding in a call to Kaiba Corp so he could telecommute. When he returned to the bedroom, Lisa took note of how puffy-eyed and pale her employer was.

"Seto?"

"Yes?"

"How much sleep did you get last night?" she asked in a casual way, yet he could see the concern in her eyes.

His eyes narrowed. "Less than five hours. Why?"

"Lack of sleep means your immune system is possibly compromised and I don't think you've gotten a great deal of rest the past couple of days. You need to go take a rest and come in this room only if it's absolutely necessary. I'm going to go get myself cleaned up while he's sleeping. You should probably get yourself cleaned up before you rest." With that, Lisa headed out of Mokuba's room. Seto also headed out of his brother's bedroom, went to his own room, showered, got dressed and defying the doctor's orders, grabbed his history book, went back to Mokuba's room and began to read.

Lisa, meanwhile, quickly made her way back to her guestroom and selected her outfit for the day. She picked a fresh bra and panties, a pair of distressed blue jeans, a shocking pink v-neck t-shirt, white ankle-length athletic socks and black ballet-style slippers and laid them on her bed. Then she headed into the amazing bathroom. Yet again, she found herself appreciating the massive room, but she would not give into the temptation to soak in the huge tub. _Mustn't yet,_ she told herself. _Not until your patient is well on the road to recovery._ So she took a quick shower, toweled off and had a good look at herself in a mirror. _I could really lose a few pounds. Darn,_ she thought, looking at her curves. _Is there..? Yes._ She grabbed a jar of cocoa butter, and rubbed it on her hips, shoulders, belly and breasts. _Stupid stretch marks! Why did I have to get stretch marks?!_ She'd had them since she was eleven, but that fact didn't make having stretch marks any easier. Lisa rubbed on the butter, went into her bedroom, got dressed and headed back to her patient's room.

When Lisa arrived in Mokuba's room, she discovered Seto reading his history book. "I am relaxing," he said in response to her doctor's stare, best described as _You're not doing what I asked you to do_.

"Well, just don't 'relax' too much," she said with a somewhat rueful grin. "I like reading history too, but I tend to read entertaining fiction to really relax."

"Such as?" Seto asked, right eyebrow raising.

"I love to read _Harry Potter, Star Wars, Star Trek_ and Tom Clancy novels mostly."

"You like Tom Clancy novels?" Seto asked in surprise. "I don't know too many young women who like Tom Clancy novels."

"I find them fascinating. And one of my favorite movies is _The Hunt for Red October._" For the next twenty minutes, the two teens discussed their favorite books, and then Seto headed to his home office.

Mokuba awoke at noon, and Lisa got him to drink some diet ginger ale. "Lisa?"

"Yeah, sweetie?"

"Where's Seto?"

"He's working in his office. He didn't want to leave you this morning."

"Oh."

"How about we get you something to eat?" Mokuba, predictably, wasn't very hungry, but Lisa had the maid bring a cup of chicken soup for the little boy and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for her. Fortunately, Mokuba kept his soup down.

"Lisa?"

"Yeah, sweetie?"

"I gotta go." So Lisa picked Mokuba up and carried him to the bathroom. After he was done, Lisa helped the little boy to the sink to wash his hands, got him back to bed and gave him a sugar-free ice pop.

"Mokuba, would you like to watch a movie?" she asked, once he was settled back in bed.

"Sure. Could I watch _My Neighbor Totoro_?" Lisa nodded, got the DVD, and turned on the movie. Within twenty minutes, however, Mokuba was again fast asleep.

_He looks like an angel_, Lisa thought as she tucked his blankets around him. She turned off the movie, picked _Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets_ off of Mokuba's bookshelf, sat down in a chair and read. She finished the book in two hours, and pulled Peter David's _Imzadi_ from her bag and read it. She checked Mokuba's temperature every hour and, at 4:15, his temperature was down another half-degree. Lisa stood up, stretched and went downstairs to get a light snack.

Seto Kaiba got up from his desk and headed down to his brother's bedroom at 5:00 PM, hoping to see Mokuba awake. He was surprised to see Mokuba sound asleep and Lisa eating a small container of yogurt. "Lisa?" he whispered.

"Hi, Seto. He's been asleep since a little after 1:00. He had a little lunch and kept it down and his temp is down to 101. That's a big improvement and I think if it keeps dropping like this, he'll be back to normal by tomorrow afternoon."

"That's great," he whispered. "Lisa, I was going to order some dinner. Would you join me?"

"All right. What did you have in mind?" Together, the teens walked back to Seto's office and he pulled four take-out menus from his desk.

"You pick out something. You're not a vegetarian, are you?" he asked, eyes narrowing.

"No, actually, I like meat. Is Chinese food all right with you?" she asked, holding up the Park Terrace Chinese take-out menu.

"All right, that's fine."

Lisa selected two soups, her favorite barbecued pork, fried rice, an all-vegetable dish, Seto's favorite Mongolian Beef, almond boneless chicken, sweet-and-sour prawns, and chicken chow mein. The CEO called in the order, and the teens waited for the food to arrive. "Where should we eat?" he asked.

"I'd like to eat somewhere that I'm close to my patient, but I don't want to eat in his room so he stays asleep."

"How about we eat in my room?" Lisa looked up at the change in Seto's tone. He actually sounded… nervous.

"Okay," she said, still calm and casual, "is there a table or something?"

"No…Would you be okay with…sitting on my bed and eating?" Again, she could hear his thoughts. _Did that sound like I was coming on to her? Oh, great; possible lawsuit. _

Lisa smiled and said, "Sure. My family and I did that a lot when I lived at home. We'd get take-out and eat in my parents' bedroom and watch TV."

The food arrived in fifteen minutes, and the two teens filled up their plates in the kitchen, then headed up to Seto's room. "We'll give Mokuba some of the egg flower soup when he wakes up," Lisa said as Seto glanced toward his brother's room.

"I hate it when he's sick," the CEO admitted. "I'm scared something'll happen to him."

"He'll be okay now," she said gently as they entered his room. Lisa wasn't sure what to expect in Seto Kaiba's room, but what was there was definitely not what she expected. The carpet was white and spotless, while the curtains and bedding were cobalt blue. The bed and other wooden furniture were black walnut, and the bed itself was a four-poster with sky blue curtains and cobalt blue tiebacks. They sat down on opposite sides of the bed and stretched out.

Seto regarded the young doctor for a minute. "You're not afraid of me," he said matter-of-factly.

"No, I'm not," Lisa answered. "Should I be?" she asked playfully.

He missed the playfulness in her tone and said, "Of course not. It's just that some young women would be afraid of being alone in a bedroom with young men their age."

"Most young men my age and yours aren't CEOs of multinational corporations who know the consequences if they try to get fresh with girls," she pointed out.

"Do you eat in your bedroom most nights?" Seto asked.

"Yeah. When you eat alone as often as I do, you want to be comfortable. I usually end up with my pajamas on when I get home from work. What about you and Mokuba?"

"We tend to eat in my office at Kaiba Corp or the home office. He finishes his homework, I finish mine, and then he watches _Home Improvement_ reruns while I work."

"I like _Home Improvement,_" she laughed, "but I've always wondered how Tim never has required major surgery onscreen."

"Doesn't surprise me that you'd notice that," he said.

The conversation became meaningful yet still relaxed. The teens discussed Mokuba, politics (both liked the same political party), Duel Monsters, Lisa's work at Domino Children's Hospital and life at Domino High School. "I don't have to go," Seto explained, "but I need to know how other teenagers think. And I guess I could use the socialization."

"I got through high school when I was five. I went to prom but had to go to bed right after the dance. Daddy had one of his faculty members' kids take me so I wouldn't miss out," Lisa said, sighing a little. "It's probably different when you're a teenager than when you're a little kid in a group of teenagers. Even your outfit is different!"

"At least you wouldn't have a legion of fan girls fighting over you," Seto said. "Or in your case, fan boys."

"Yeah." They talked a little bit more after that, but Seto found himself less interested in what Lisa was saying than in her eyes, her smile or that intriguing small white scar above her right eyebrow.

"'Scuse me, Seto, I'd really like to go check on Mokuba. He might be ready for a little dinner," Lisa said, picking up her empty plate and bowl, as well as her silverware.

"I'll come with you," Seto said, also picking up his dinnerware. They each headed downstairs, placed their dishes in the dishwasher, and Lisa got a clean bowl out of a cupboard. She filled the bowl with egg flower soup (excellent for upset tummies), and grabbed a spoon. "Here, let me take that," Seto said, reaching for the bowl. He touched her hands doing so, and something electric passed between them, but only for a second. They each headed back upstairs to Mokuba's room, and he was awake.

"Hi, big brother. Hi, Lisa," Mokuba greeted, trying to sit up, but still feeling pretty weak. He was surprised to see his brother actually looking… happy as he walked in with the doctor.

"We brought you dinner, Mokie," Seto said gently.

"I need you to sit up a minute, sweetie, so I can take your temperature," Lisa said, propping him up long enough to do so, then giving him another dose of fever reliever with some ginger ale. "Looks like you're on the mend, Moks. Your temp is down to 100.4."

Mokuba smiled weakly at this, then Seto asked, "Are you ready to eat?" The little boy nodded tiredly as his brother sat down next to him.

"What'd you do today, Seto?"

"Worked. You?"

"I slept a lot. Lisa started _My Neighbor Totoro_ for me after I woke up, but I think I fell asleep."

"Well," Seto said, "Lisa said sleep's good for you right now. Now here's some good soup. You need to eat some, okay?"

"Okay." Mokuba obediently swallowed his soup as his brother fed it to him, and then the doorbell rang.

"I'll get that," Lisa said and headed downstairs to the front door. There on the front porch stood Yugi Muto, Teá Gardner, Tristan Taylor and Joey Wheeler. "Hi, guys. What's up?" Lisa greeted.

"Well, we brought Mokuba and Kaiba's homework," Yugi said.

"And we thought you could use some flowers to brighten your day," Teá added with a smile. Yugi had two homework folders in his arms, while the other three teens held bouquets of flowers.

"You didn't have to do this," Lisa said, taking the bouquets and smiling. "Why don't you guys come in for a minute? It's a long way up the driveway."

"Are you sure, Lisa?" Yugi asked, looking a little nervous.

"Of course. I don't think Mr. Kaiba would begrudge you four coming in for a minute after doing something so nice," Lisa answered, the flowers in her arms.

"I wouldn't bet on it," Joey muttered under his breath.

"Go sit down in the blue sitting room, and I'll go put these in water." As Lisa headed down the hall to the kitchen, she shook her head softly. _He could have friends if he'd let himself, but Seto doesn't let himself have friends. Yugi and his friends would let what happens in the arena stay in the arena, but Seto has a hard time doing that._ She cut the bouquets, placed them in vases, and headed back to the sitting room.

Meanwhile, Team Yugi sat in a sitting room with bright blue walls and furniture done in varying shades of blue. They sat quietly for a few minutes, and then began to talk. "Wonder how the little guy's doing?" Joey asked softly.

"Lisa'll probably tell us," Teá answered. "She seems really nice."

"Yeah, I just hope Kaiba doesn't crush that out of her," Tristan said.

"I'll bet he likes it that she's nice," Yugi asserted. Then Lisa returned to the room.

"Hey, would anybody like a drink? I was just about to get one."

"Are you serious?" Joey asked.

"Of course," the girl answered, smiling a little.

"Umm, could I have a root beer then, please?" the blonde boy asked. Tristan then asked for a diet Coke and Yugi and Teá asked for water. Lisa went and got the drinks and returned. She could've called for a maid or butler to do it, but her middle class upbringing wouldn't allow it. Besides, she'd pretty much been sitting all day and could stand a little exercise.

"Don't you have people to do stuff for you here?" Teá asked as Lisa handed them their drinks.

"Yeah, but I needed to do something. I'm not used to having a lot of stuff done for me, to be honest," the other girl admitted.

"How's the little guy?" Tristan asked.

"He's improving," Lisa said, "but it'll be a little longer before he's really up and around."

"Lisa?" Seto called, "Who's..? Oh," he said, entering the room, and Lisa could see his demeanor changing. "It's you… guys." _He didn't call them "geeks" or variants thereof. That's progress_, Lisa thought, smiling inwardly.

"We brought your homework, Kaiba," Yugi said, handing the other boy the two folders.

"This is Mokuba's," Seto said, looking at the second folder. "How did you…?"

"We went to Domino Elementary and asked the teacher. I had Mrs. Farmer when I was in fourth grade," Joey answered.

"It wasn't necessary, but… thank you," the teen CEO said.

"Mr. Kaiba," Lisa asked, "would you like something to drink? I got something for everyone else."

"Water, please," Seto said, "thank you, Lisa." Lisa headed off to the kitchen. When she returned, Seto was asking, "So where's Mai?"

"She's workin' at a photo shoot," Joey said. "She should be back in town in a week or so."

"Did I miss any major announcements in school?"

Tristan shook his head, grinning. "No, but you missed Mr. Anderson ripping his pants in gym."

Seto's eyebrows raised. "His pants ripped?"

"It was priceless!" Joey crowed.

"It was nasty!" Teá groaned, blushing out of embarrassment. "You guys weren't in the front row when he bent over. I didn't need a… full rear view."

Yugi looked at his watch. "Oh, no! I have to be home in ten minutes."

Seto picked up a walkie talkie he had in his pocket. "Jeffrey, bring the limo around. Would any of you like a ride home?" he asked.

"Yeah," the four teens chorused.

"Thanks for the break, Lisa. And thanks for the ride home, Kaiba," Yugi said, as the teens exited, also thanking the teen doctor and CEO.

"You called me 'Mr. Kaiba' in front of them," Seto said. "I was surprised you did that."

"I assume you don't want anyone knowing that we're on a first-name basis yet, right, Seto?"

"Right."

"I think they were surprised that you offered them a ride home."

Seto seemingly ignored that, and said, "Mokuba fell asleep as soon as I finished feeding him. Is that okay for him?"

"Perfectly all right. He needs the rest to recover."

"Lisa, they brought flowers, didn't they?"

"Oh, you noticed them? They brought the flowers to brighten our day."

Seto looked thoughtful. "I owe them… for more than this. I'd like to do something for each of them, but I'm not sure what to do. I don't like owing anyone," he said with a tense expression on his face.

"Well," Lisa said thoughtfully, "I'd find out what they like and then do it for them."

"Wouldn't it be easier just to pay them?"

"Easier, yes, but…" Lisa took a breath and Seto could tell she was trying to choose her words carefully. "I think you need to consider what they did for you. Do you like a gift better if you know it was something Mokuba took the time to get or make for you?"

Then Seto looked very contemplative, and pulled his wallet out of his pocket. From the wallet, he pulled out a picture the size of a Duel Monsters card, and on that card was a crayon rendition of the Blue Eyes White Dragon. "Mokuba drew this for me when he was five. It… helped me through a very difficult time, but he doesn't know it," the teenage boy said softly. He handed her the picture, and she could sense the love and sadness that had gone into the making of this little drawing and she smiled. "I understand what you mean, Lisa," Seto continued.

"Seto, I think you need to go to bed. Go get your pajamas on, get relaxed and don't stay up as late as you did last night." Lisa said the last quite firmly, and headed to her room to get into some comfortable pajamas. Seto, however, chose not to heed Lisa's advice, instead going to his office and working on his homework, and not going to bed until 2:00 AM. He wasn't feeling well, but dismissed it as tiredness.

_A bit of a cliffhanger… This is only part one of chapter four. I know I'm changing our cold-hearted CEO (I hope I'm changing him at the right pace), and I'm not through yet. Pay attention to the last paragraph as it will lead to something in the second part of this chapter._

_I've gotten some good feedback on my PMs, so far. Thanks to Ivory Goddess of Ebony Heart for her feedback. I'm glad you think my work is good. Folks, Ivory Goddess has some good poetry about our favorite Ice Prince CEO and I think you should check them out. I would like a lot more feedback, though. Read and review! Kuriboh is waving his cute green paw at you!_


	7. Suicidally Stubborn Ch 4 Pt II

Chapter 4 Part II: Suicidally Stubborn

_I realized that perhaps I needed to break up some chapters. I'm guessing that you all prefer chapters that are shorter. So "Lowering the Shields" is now two chapters. Furthermore, I should mention that Yugi Muto has command of at least two languages, English and Japanese. Also, due to the fact that in my version of the Yugi-verse, he is the great-grandson of a rabbi, Yugi also may know a little Hebrew. I don't want anyone to think I'm just tossing in random Japanese words; I'm enjoying the proverbial "melting pot" of my country. _

_**Author's note, five years later: **__I had to make some minor changes to this chapter._

_Recap: Lisa and Seto had to take care of a rather sick Mokuba and found themselves learning a bit more about each other. Team Yugi showed up to say hi, and Seto found himself actually being civil, to his fascinated horror. So what's next?_

_Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! I just own this story and Lisa, and what I've imagined about the characters._

At 6:45 AM, Seto woke up after only four and three-quarter hours of sleep and dragged himself out of bed, feeling like his stomach had turned against him. He took his shower, got dressed, went downstairs and got a piece of toast, went back upstairs, brushed his teeth and checked on his brother. Lisa, to his surprise, was up, dressed and taking Mokuba's temperature. "Good morning, Seto," she said cheerfully, and then noticing his pallor asked, "are you feeling all right?"

"I was just up late again last night," he answered somewhat groggily, "I'm fine."

"You don't look fine," she countered softly.

Mokuba chose this moment to wake up. "Good morning, Lisa. Good morning, big brother," he said, looking a lot better.

"Hey, Mokuba," Seto greeted. "Lisa, I have to go to class today."

"Morning, Mokuba. I have to check your temp, sweetie." She glanced at Mokuba's temperature and said, "You're down to 100°, sweetie. You're on the mend."

"I feel better. Seto, are you okay?" Mokuba asked, looking alarmed.

"I'm okay, little brother," Seto said, "I've just got to go to school. I'll see you later." He gave Mokuba a hug goodbye, and bidding them both goodbye, left.

"Is he okay?" the small boy asked his doctor.

"He's being stubborn," she answered, frowning.

Seto arrived at school in time to get to his locker, grab his books and get to class just as the tardy bell rang. His first class was American Government, and two of his classmates could tell that something was very wrong with him. Yugi Muto and Joey Wheeler exchanged glances as the teen CEO entered class, looking out of it. It became very clear just how out of it he was halfway through class. The discussion was about American presidents, and Seto thought he was doing a good job of paying attention until he realized that the teacher had been calling on him.

"_**Mr. Kaiba**_!" shouted Ms. Howson.

"William Henry Harrison," he answered, and the class, except for Yugi and Joey, snickered.

"William Henry Harrison was the longest-serving president? Mr. Wheeler, do you have the correct answer?" Ms. Howson asked doubtfully.

"Yes, ma'am. The longest-servin' president was Franklin Delano Roosevelt."

Ordinarily, Joey would've been thrilled to one-up his nemesis, but he'd seen how pale and tired Kaiba was. Contrary to his public image, Joey wasn't that obtuse. He knew Mokuba must still be feeling sick and the young, kind doctor must still be at the mansion. "Yuge," the blonde boy said after class, "Kaiba's not lookin' too good."

"No, Joey, he doesn't. I think he's sick," Yugi responded.

"Yeah. He ain't one to admit it, though."

"Admit what?" Teá asked, coming to the lockers after her AP World Literature class.

"Teá, we think Kaiba's sick," Yugi said.

"Yeah, Teá, he missed a question that I got," Joey added.

"Must've been 'What country are you in right now?'" Tristan joked as he came from his Tai-Chi class.

"Why you-!" Joey growled, good-naturedly charging his sparring partner. "Actually, it was a question about the longest-servin' president, but that's not the point!" The "geek squad," as Seto called Yugi and his cadre, kept an eye on the teen multi-billionaire throughout the school day. At lunch, he looked a little green as he sat down to his lunch tray, but it was obvious to Team Yugi that Kaiba would fight through the day. However, after lunch, disaster struck.

Yugi, as it happened had World History with Seto after lunch.

_Aibou, I wouldn't ask him,_ Yami cautioned.

_Yami, I have to find out if he needs help. _"Hey, Kaiba, are you okay?" Yugi asked his rival as they entered class with Mr. Ridge.

"I'm fine, Yugi, back off!" Seto snapped. But within tem minutes, everyone in the class knew otherwise.

"Mr. Kaiba," asked the teacher, "in approximately what year did noblewomen start embroidery on the Bayeux Tapestry?" The teen CEO stood to answer and felt both dizzy and nauseous. "Mr. Kaiba, are you all right?" Seto made the grave error of opening his mouth and, for the first time since he was in kindergarten, threw up in class.

Mr. Ridge quickly removed everyone from the class and asked, "Could someone please escort Mr. Kaiba to the infirmary?" Yugi raised his hand. "Okay, Mr. Muto. In the meantime, when I was a boy, I wanted to join the CIA…"

_Here he goes again_, Yugi thought wryly. "Kaiba, why didn't you say you were sick?" he asked as he escorted his rival.

"Couldn't miss… ack," Seto began to answer, gagged and raced into the bathroom.

Yugi could hear him retching violently, and after five minutes asked, "Kaiba, should I get somebody?" But Seto Kaiba staggered from the bathroom stall shortly thereafter and had to lean on the shorter boy to hold his balance.

The nurse was waiting at the infirmary door when the two boys arrived. "Hello, Yugi. Here, Mr. Kaiba." Nurse Clarke got the taller boy to lean on her for support, and got him to a cot. Yugi followed them, and sat down in a chair in a corner. "You've got a rather nasty fever, Mr. Kaiba, and you need to lie down," Clarke said firmly. Seto was really too weak to try to disagree with her. "Yugi, may I ask why you're still here?" the nurse asked.

"Kaiba's my friend," he answered softly. Seto Kaiba was far too weak to argue the point and drifted off to sleep.

By the end of the period, the news that Seto Kaiba had puked all over Mr. Ridge's classroom had spread through the school. Naturally, Yugi's three best friends were at the infirmary to find out what had happened. "So Moneybags blew chunks?" Joey asked his friend, all of them standing outside the school infirmary. "Man, he's sicker than we thought!"

"Yeah," Tristan added, "so he just..?"

"Yeah," Yugi confirmed, "and I'm staying here. Mr. Ridge's class isn't cleaned up yet, and I have him next period, so he'll keep talking about the CIA. I have time."

"Yugi, it's not like he'll appreciate this," Teá pointed out.

"Teá, I want to be his friend, and if you've taught me anything, it's that you don't abandon your friends even when they're not grateful for your help."

"Touché," she said, saluting him. "I guess we'll have to bring them their homework again."

Just then, the principal, a short gray-haired man with a usually infectious grin walked up to them looking very serious. "Afternoon, kids," he greeted in a Queens, New York accent.

"Hi, Mr. Darby," the teens chorused.

"This young lady needs to talk to you for a few minutes," he said, gesturing to Lisa Hammond who'd come up behind him.

"Hey, guys," Lisa said.

"What's up, Leese?" Joey asked.

"I'm here to pick up Mr. Kaiba. Now all of you, if you come over tonight, don't bring his homework. This is really important."

"How come?" Teá asked.

"He has a tendency to push himself too hard, and doing that will greatly impede his recovery. So can you all do that?" Everyone nodded.

"We might come over later, if it's okay," Yugi said.

"Thanks, guys," the doctor said, stepping into the infirmary.

Team Yugi headed back to class, and Yugi found himself hoping Lisa knew how to handle the teen CEO, because an angry and sick Seto Kaiba was rather scary to contemplate.

_Yes, I know what you're thinking…Seto James Kaiba would not throw up in class. I, however, think he would be that stubborn. He's proven he's a stubborn individual, so I'm taking that to the next level. Oh, what will happen now? Thanks to Ivory Goddess of Ebony Heart for telling me what's too long for a chapter! And thanks to Mr. Dark Side for telling me in another fic that I had a Mary Sue on my hands! Said fic is down and under reconstruction! Read and review this tale, my friends! I'd really like to know how I'm doing!_


	8. Emergency

Chapter 5: Emergency

_As usual, I own nothing but Lisa, any OCs, any non-established characters and the plot. "One Day I'll Fly Away" is owned by Randy Crawford and the rearrangement is owned by Craig Armstrong. © Peach Wookiee Tales, 2007._

_**Author's note, five years later:**__ For those of you who are nitpicky, Lisa's line about thinking "unsexy thoughts" is a direct quote of Homer Simpson and Mindy Simmons in "The Last Temptation of Homer." _

Seto Kaiba was lying down in the Domino High School infirmary when Lisa stepped into the room. "Good afternoon, Dr. Hammond. I'm Nurse Clarke," the school nurse introduced herself as Lisa shook her hand.

"Hi, Nurse Clarke, pleased to meet you. How's the patient?"

"Mr. Kaiba has a fever of 102.9° as of half an hour ago. He vomited in a classroom rather spectacularly, and Yugi Muto had to support him to get him in here. They're still cleaning up the classroom."

"Oh, boy," the young doctor said, and thought, _I warned him._ She sat down in a chair next to her employer. "Mr. Kaiba, you need to wake up now," Lisa said, touching his shoulder.

He opened his eyes, sniffled and sat up slowly. "Lisa? Did you get my homework?"

"Let's get you home before we worry about that." She helped him to his feet and walked him to the limo. Once inside, Seto lay down on one of the limo's long seats, and Lisa sat close to him. "You should've listened to me," she scolded gently, "and now you're going to be out a few days with this bug."

She took an ear thermometer from her purse and checked Seto's temperature. His body temperature had gone up to 103.5°. Lisa called ahead to the mansion, made sure her boss's sheets were changed, his room was aired, and that there would be a bath drawn for him. She also checked to be sure that eucalyptus vapor rub was in his room and on his nightstand. "Urmph… Lisa?"

"Yeah?"

"Did you get my homework?"

"No, and you won't be doing work of any sort for a few days. No, don't argue with me," she said firmly as he tried to raise his head to argue. "You need rest, and that means you relax completely." He subsided and slept the rest of the way to the mansion. Lisa, on impulse, reached out and ruffled Seto's bangs gently. A light smile appeared on his lips.

The limo arrived at the mansion at 2:50 PM. Seto was still sleeping and Lisa called Roland to get the sleeping CEO out of the car and to his bedroom. As the security man carried the teen boy to his room, Mokuba came running to Lisa. "Lisa, is Seto all right?" he asked, worry on his features.

"Moks, your brother caught the same flu you had and he needs to rest. He'll be fine in a few days if he gets some rest."

"Oh. So what happened? I heard he got sick in class."

"He… umm… tossed his cookies."

Mokuba's eyes now resembled an owl's. "Ewwwww… Neat."

"Mokuba, um, why is it neat?"

"'Cause it's gross," the boy answered, as if it were the most obvious answer.

Lisa shook her head. "I had to ask."

The teen doctor and little boy walked up to Seto's bedroom where Roland had laid the boy down on his bed. "Is there anything I can do?" the security guard asked.

"Could you get his bathrobe, please, Roland?" Roland got it. "Thanks, and could you help me get him into the bathtub?"

"Sure." Together Roland and Lisa walked Seto to the bathroom, Mokuba trailing behind.

"Okay, let's get that sweaty uniform off you, Seto," Lisa said gently and pulled his jacket off. But when she tried to remove his shirt, he began to struggle. Roland held him up, and the girl said, "Calm down. I'm trying to help," and she touched him on the shoulder. He relaxed immediately, but not because he was trying to follow her order, she realized. He'd relaxed because she'd used a little bit of her power. _I'll have to remember this_, she resolved and removed his shirt and undershirt.

Finally, when Seto was stripped, Roland lowered the boy into the water and Lisa had a very good look at her employer's back. "What the heck—?" she said in a harsh whisper, her eyes wide. "Roland, how did he get these?" "These" were large scars all over Seto's back, and Lisa could tell they were old scars.

"Uh oh," Mokuba said softly, "he didn't want anybody to…"

"Moks, did somebody hurt you two?" Lisa asked.

"He didn't hurt me, 'cause Seto wouldn't let him. It wasn't our daddy," Mokuba whispered sadly, "but I can't tell you."

"Okay, you don't have to tell me any more." Roland held Seto up while Mokuba got a very motherly hug from the doctor. "You saw some of it, didn't you?" Mokuba, in response, pulled closer to Lisa. _This poor darling,_ she thought, heart melting. "Mokuba, Seto will be okay, and when he wants to, he'll tell me." Mokuba wiped his blue-gray eyes, and nodded.

Lisa got up and laid her hands on Mokuba's shoulders. "Sweetie, can you do something for me?"

"Yeah. What?"

"I want you to get Seto a clean pair of pajamas and boxer shorts, okay?"

"'Kay." Mokuba ran into the walk-in closet between the bathroom and the bedroom as Lisa went back to cooling her employer with his bodyguard's help. And then… "Lisa! I can't reach his boxer shorts drawer!"

Roland moved so the doctor could hold the boss a bit more. "I'll go help him," he said, and headed into the closet.

The bathroom was sunlit, and Seto, still very groggy, opened his eyes and looked at the young woman. "You look so pretty," he breathed, and despite herself, Lisa blushed. The teen CEO's eyes closed again, and Roland and Mokuba returned from the closet.

"Let's get him out of the tub," Lisa said. So Roland lifted Seto out of the bathtub and Lisa put a bathrobe (navy blue with sky blue trim) on her boss. Once that was accomplished, the girl and security man got the teen boy to his bed. Roland took Mokuba to his bedroom, while Lisa pulled Seto's blue cotton boxer shorts on him and then his pajama bottoms. She managed to get him into his button-down pajama top, but left the top unbuttoned for the moment.

"Okay, Seto, I'm going to put some vapor rub on you," the doctor said in a soothing voice, "so hold still." She grabbed the jar of rub off of the nightstand, opened it and rubbed it on his smooth, bare chest. He was slim (maybe a little too slim), and muscular, nearly the way Lisa admittedly preferred in men. _Think unsexy thoughts, think unsexy thoughts_, she told herself sternly as she rubbed. It didn't help that Seto James Kaiba was wearing the same light smile on his face he'd had just a short time earlier when she'd ruffled his hair. _**Think unsexy thoughts, Lisa!**_"There we are, Seto," she said as she quickly buttoned up his top. She got him to wake up long enough to take his medicine, drink a cup of tea, and then let him go to sleep. She laid a cool washcloth on his forehead, and tucked him into bed.

Lisa headed down to Mokuba's bedroom and found the little boy and Roland playing U-NO. "Having fun?" she asked.

"Yeah, Lisa," Mokuba answered, coming to the girl for a hug, "Roland's a great U-NO player!"

"Oh, really?" Lisa asked, smiling.

"Well, I'm not that great," Roland answered. "I just have a lot of practice playing with my two boys, and my older boy beats me more often than I beat him now."

"How old is he?" the girl queried.

"He's Mr. Kaiba's age."

"Oh. Mokuba, sweetheart, are you okay?" Lisa asked, suddenly seeing Mokuba crying again.

"Seto… he isn't gonna die, is he, Lisa?"

"Oh, honey, no! Shh," she said softly, holding him close and making soothing noises. She could sense his very real fear of losing his brother. "He'll be okay in a few days, angel. You just calm down, okay?"

The little boy wiped his eyes and nodded, but Lisa could tell part of him was still very worried. "I'd like to check your temperature, Mokuba, before I enlist your help in a mission."

"Mission?" he asked, looking up at her with a curious look on his face.

"Yup. So let me check. Hmm; You are at 99.2°. You're lucky it's Thursday, because you'd have to go back to school the day after tomorrow."

"Oh, no," Mokuba said, grinning, "I have to miss another day of the fourth grade. What a horrible tragedy. So what's the mission?"

"I need you and Roland to help me clear Seto's room of anything of his that's work-related. And we're not going to let him near his office for a couple of days, here or at the office building."

Mokuba's eyes widened in awe. "He's not going to be happy about this, Lisa."

"I know, sweetie, but he's got to rest or it'll take longer for him to get better." The little boy nodded, and together Lisa, Mokuba and Roland removed Seto's laptop, cell phone, landline, Blackberry, business newspapers, and blueprints for Kaibaland Anaheim from his bedroom and took them up to the home office.

At 6:30, Yugi Muto and his friends dropped by the mansion. Mokuba followed Lisa to the door. "Hi, guys!" the little boy greeted.

"Evening, everybody," Lisa added. "No homework?"

"We followed your orders, Lisa," Teá answered. "No homework."

"Glad to see you're up, kid," Joey said, ruffling Mokuba's hair.

"How are you feeling, Mokuba?" Tristan asked.

"Lots better! Do you guys want to come in for some hot chocolate?"

"We wouldn't be intruding?" Yugi asked.

Mokuba shook his raven head. "Nuh-uh. Lisa told me you guys might come."

"Yeah?" Yugi asked.

"Yeah. C'mon." He led them to the blue sitting room, saying, "Maybe when Seto's better you guys can come see my room."

"How's Kaiba doing?" Yugi asked. Mokuba looked at his doctor and nodded.

"He's sleeping right now, and I want to make sure he stays that way," Lisa answered. "He's got a high fever and… well, Yugi, you saw what he did in the classroom…."

"Oh, yeah," the small amethyst-eyed teen said, grimacing.

"I just want him to rest. He can't be in school the rest of the week," the doctor added, very seriously.

"Sounds serious," Teá said.

"If he does what I tell him, he'll be fine by the end of the weekend," Lisa responded.

"Is he bein' a good patient?" Joey asked, frowning.

"_**Joey**_!" three teens shouted indignantly, but Lisa, knowing her employer's reputation as a tough customer, gave Joey a wry smile.

"He's being good, especially since he's been barely conscious."

Joey, visibly chagrined, said, "Sorry. Maybe I shouldn't have asked."

"You're concerned. I think that's sweet. Don't worry about me, though. I faced a room full of grumpy preschoolers once, and that was a fair sight tougher than this," she answered with a smile.

They talked for a few more minutes and a maid brought hot chocolate for five people, while Lisa got some herbal tea. "Don't you like hot chocolate, Lisa?" Tristan asked.

"Yeah, I do, but when I'm on duty, I drink a lot of herbal tea because I also drink a lot of diet cola. I might have some hot chocolate later." Yugi and his friends didn't stay for more than ten minutes after that, heading home to do chores.

"Thanks for coming, guys!" Mokuba called after them as they got into the limo. "They came while I was sick," he said, a little bit surprised.

"Why are you surprised, Moks?"

"Nobody ever does."

Lisa got Mokuba to bed at nine o'clock, got her own pajamas on, and sat in a chair in Seto's room. She'd been tracking his temperature by the hour, even getting up while Yugi, Teá, Joey and Tristan were visiting, and the elder Kaiba's temperature hadn't risen or lowered. It had stabilized at 103.5°, and Lisa, though concerned, figured that it would come down if she kept the teen CEO medicated and cooled. But at 10:30, though it had only been half an hour, Lisa had a feeling she needed to check Seto's temperature again.

"Oh, no… Seto? Seto!" She tried to shake him awake, but he was very out of it. That she couldn't wake him was a bad sign. "Your temperature is 105.8. I have to bring it down. If you don't respond to what I do, we'll have to take you to Domino Children's." He was breathing all right, but he wasn't responding. _Help me, Lord_, she prayed, and ran down the hall.

"Roland? Roland!" Lisa whispered urgently to the security guard, who was sitting on a chair just inside Mokuba's room. He got up quickly and walked out to the hall.

"What's going on, Lisa?"

"Seto's fever has spiked rather seriously, and…."

"Lisa? Roland? What's wrong with Seto?" Mokuba had awakened, hearing the doctor and security guard. His eyes were full of sleep still and wide with fear.

"His fever's gotten really high, pumpkin," Lisa answered softly, "and I need to bring it down. Can you help Roland with something so we can do that?"

"Okay," the little boy said, demeanor changing. He could help his big brother, so he listened carefully.

"I need both of you to go downstairs and get ice bags, as many as you can get. Get some Ziploc bags and fill them with ice, then bring them up to Seto's room. I'll use the packs to cool him down."

"All right," Roland said, and he and Mokuba ran downstairs to the kitchen and were back in fifteen minutes with the packs.

Lisa placed the packs around Seto, and he trembled and shook from the cold. "Hang in there, Seto," she said softly, holding his right hand.

Mokuba was holding his left. "It's okay, big brother. You'll be okay." Mokuba was scared for his brother, Lisa could sense, and Roland was scared like a dad would be for his son. The doctor, guard and little boy sat with Seto for nearly an hour as the teen genius's body temperature dropped. When it was down to 102.5, Seto opened his eyes. "Seto?" Mokuba asked, but the teen boy was looking at the doctor.

"You really are pretty." His eyes closed again, and he fell into a deep sleep. Lisa couldn't help flushing at what her boss had just said; she had purposely left her mental shields up so she couldn't find out if he meant it.

"I think he's out of danger now," she said to Roland and Mokuba, "but just the same, I'll stay up with Seto the rest of the night."

"Lisa? Can I stay up with you, too?" Mokuba was giving Lisa a pleading and yet defiant look. He didn't want to leave his brother, and Lisa sensed he would try to put up a fight.

"Okay," she answered softly, "but I want you to fall asleep. Roland, since Mokuba'll be with me, why don't you go sleep in one of the other guest rooms?"

"Yes, ma'am. Good night. Good night, Mokuba."

"Night, Roland." The security man headed to a guest room, and Mokuba climbed into the big arm chair Lisa had placed next to his brother's bed.

"Lisa?"

"Yeah, Mokuba?"

"He meant what he said."

"What?" Lisa's face pinked a bit at this.

"He really thinks you're pretty. I think he likes you."

"Mokuba…"

"I'm serious. He's never been like this before with a girl."

Lisa sat down next to the small boy and sighed. "We'll deal with it, whatever comes, okay?"

"Okay. Hey, Lisa?"

"Yeah?"

"Could you sing me a song? I heard you sing to your patients sometimes."

"Okay. Anything you particularly want to hear?"

"No. Just sing me anything."

"All right." And with the smaller Kaiba cuddled next to her, Lisa sang "One Day I'll Fly Away," one of her very favorite songs.

Lisa looked next to her after she finishing singing, and Mokuba was fast asleep. Little did she know that even in his fevered haze, Seto heard the song. _She's got a nice voice_, he thought, drifting back to deep sleep. Meanwhile, the teen girl stayed awake all through the night and watched her boss's body temperature drop. She kept changing washcloths and removed the ice packs one by one.

At 7:45 AM, Mokuba awoke to see his doctor checking Seto's temperature. He yawned and asked in a whisper, "Lisa—?"

"His temp is down to 101.2. I took the last ice pack off at four AM, and his temp kept dropping, Mokuba. He's going to be okay." The little boy breathed a sigh of relief and then looked at her.

"Lisa, you need to go get some sleep."

"I'll do it when he's awake and I'm absolutely sure he's okay." Mokuba got up, headed downstairs to the kitchen and ate some Cocoa Puffs.

At 8:30, Seto awoke, feeling a cool washcloth on his forehead and a soft hand brushing his bangs back. He opened his eyes to see the doctor, dark circles under her large blue eyes. "Lisa?"

"Welcome back to the land of the living," she said with a light smile.

"I was… Was I really sick last night?"

"You had us worried there for a minute, but you made it."

"What happened?"

"You had a really high fever and I had to pack you in ice."

"Was Mokuba here?"

"He was a good helper, and so was Roland," she answered, now checking his pulse, which quickened slightly.

"Did I tell you that you were pretty last night?"

"You did."

"I meant it. You aren't going to sue me for that, are you?" He asked this matter-of-factly, but Lisa could sense a little apprehension from him because she'd let her mental shields down.

"No," she answered, "because I'm okay with someone casually telling me I'm pretty. Now if you said it in a lecherous way, we'd have a problem," she added with a devilish expression.

Seto started to sit up, and Lisa moved to prop his pillows behind him. "Lisa…"

"Yeah?"

"You need to get some rest."

"I'll go to sleep after you've eaten."

"Lisa," he said, his mood changing from playful (well, as playful as the CEO got) to serious, "you saw my back last night." It wasn't a question.

"Mokuba didn't tell me anything other than your biological father wasn't responsible. I told him he didn't have to tell me anything he didn't want to and that if you wanted to tell me, you would when you were ready."

He nodded, realizing that the reason he'd gotten those scars hadn't been revealed. "You wouldn't tell anyone?"

"No. Since those were clearly given some time ago, I'm not legally bound to tell. If they were recent, I'd have no choice but to report it. I wouldn't tell anyone otherwise," she reiterated. And something akin to gratitude crossed his features.

"Thank you," he said softly.

A few minutes later, Mokuba walked into the room. "Hey, Mokuba," Lisa greeted.

"Hey, Mokie," Seto added, giving his brother a rare smile.

"Hi, Lisa. Seto, you're awake."

"Yeah. What's that?" Mokuba had a green ceramic bowl in his hands.

"Oatmeal with just a little brown sugar," the boy answered, "is that okay for him?"

"Yeah," Lisa said.

"That actually sounds good, Mokuba," Seto added as he sat up a bit.

"I'll help you eat it, big brother. Lisa, you need to go to sleep," Mokuba said, emphasizing the last sentence.

"Okay, Mokuba. You guys call me if you need anything, okay?"

"All right." With that, she headed out of the room.

As soon as she was out of earshot, Seto looked at Mokuba. "Mokuba?"

"Yeah, Seto?" the small boy asked, spooning up some oatmeal.

"I have a question for you."

_Seto looks serious,_ Mokuba thought. _I wonder…_ "Yeah, bro?"

"Would it be okay with you if I started seeing someone?"

Mokuba looked straight at his brother, not quite daring to believe it. "Are you serious?" Seto looked straight back at his brother with the serious expression he always wore, but there was warmth and slight nervousness in his blue eyes. Mokuba's expression of disbelief gave way to happiness. "You're serious. It's Lisa, isn't it?"

"How'd you know?"

"You never tell girls they're pretty."

"So are you okay if I start seeing her in a social way?"

"You bet," Mokuba answered, smiling.

Meanwhile, Lisa headed into her guest room and into the bathroom. She decided that now was the time to indulge herself in a soak in the bathtub. So she filled the tub with warm water, got in, shampooed her hair, scrubbed herself and then added some lavender-scented bath salts to the water. _Ahhh, this feels so good, _she thought, eyes closed in bliss. _A girl could get used to this._ Lisa soaked for about fifteen minutes, then summoned a lavender terrycloth bathrobe to her hand and got it on. _Now, what kind of nightgown should I wear? _She went into the closet between the bathroom and bedroom and found a pretty pink sheer floor-length nightie that she'd wanted since she was a little girl. She put it on along with a fresh pair of panties, got into bed, and was asleep almost before her head hit the pillow at ten AM.

While Lisa was in the tub, Roland came down the hall to his boss's room to check how everything was. "Hey, Roland," Mokuba greeted.

"Good morning, Mokuba. Mr. Kaiba, how are you feeling this morning?"

"Better, thank you, Roland. And thanks for helping last night."

"Just doing my job, sir. What are you two doing?" he asked, sitting on the edge of the huge bed.

"Playing Go Fish," Mokuba answered, some ordinary playing cards in his slightly chubby hands.

"Can you deal me in?" Roland asked.

The three males played a few rounds of Go Fish, then at 11:00, Seto went to check on Lisa to see if she needed anything. Her guestroom door was open and he could see her lying on the bed, head on the pillow. She hadn't covered up completely, so as Seto drew closer, he could see everything of her from the waist up. The pretty pink nightie she'd selected had a plunging collar, so the young billionaire could see her ample cleavage. Her eyes were closed, so he saw her long dark eyelashes. _She's not the type to make a magazine's top 50 beautiful women list, but I think she looks great,_ he thought as he covered her up with the blanket. "You rest, Lisa. I'll be okay until you wake up."

She was sleeping on her left side, so her right pink cheek was facing him. If Seto James Kaiba allowed himself to be a truly emotional creature, he might've leaned down and kissed her on the smooth round cheek. Instead, he quietly exited the bedroom. Kissing her when she might not accept it would be very unwise, he mused. "You like her, Seto," Mokuba said softly when his brother came out of the bedroom.

"I do, Mokuba, but how do I ask her out?" The younger Kaiba could only stare blankly and shrug. And then Seto stared at his security guard. "Roland?"

"Yes, Mr. Kaiba?"

"How do you go about asking a young woman out?" Roland gave the teen boy a fatherly smile.

"Well, when I made my intentions known to my wife, I found out what her favorite thing was and I got it for her."

"She's probably been enjoying all the bath stuff in her guestroom and the pajamas," Seto murmured thoughtfully, but that didn't seem right to him.

Mokuba grinned. "I found out she likes roses, Seto."

Roland called a flower shop, and at 4:30 PM, the Flower Power Flower Emporium delivered two dozen long-stemmed white roses with pink edges and in a crystal vase to the Kaiba mansion. Again, the rich teen found himself tiptoeing into his potential girlfriend's bedroom and placing the roses on her nightstand. _I hope you like them, Leese,_ he thought.

_This chapter came in at a little over 4000 words which levels out to just over eleven full pages. Is that too long? I hope you all like my tale so far. I know this was updated quickly, but it's updated especially for The Akemi Queen of Sakia. Thanks to The Akemi Queen of Sakia and Glimerofhope for their reviews!_

_Next time: "Dreams of the Past and Future." Is Lisa simply a girl genius or is there more to this girl than meets the eye. Her dream will reveal who she truly may be, though she doesn't really know it yet!_


	9. Dreams of the Past and Future

Chapter VI: Dreams of the Past and Future

_Welcome to chapter six of "The Jedi League of Duelists." If you've stayed with the story, you've learned that Lisa has special powers that she hasn't yet revealed to anyone but her family and those she can really trust. She likes the Kaiba brothers (and obviously they like her), but isn't ready to trust them with her secret yet. But who is Lisa, really? Ladies, gentlemen, yamis, hikaris, something big is being revealed about Lisa here. I own nothing but the plot and Lisa. This story is © Peach Wookiee Tales, 2007._

_**Author's notes, over five years later:**__ I made some minor changes. Also, in the previous version of this chapter, I misnamed Isis' monster as Elyria, not Spiria. Thanks to the Yu-Gi-Oh Wiki for that information._

Little did Seto Kaiba know that when he laid the blanket over Lisa Hammond's shoulders, she was somewhat aware of his presence. _Seto…_ She was so exhausted, she couldn't open her eyes to check if it was him. She drifted into a deep sleep, and dreamed of Seto and Mokuba, both in the past and in the future…

_It was about 5000 years earlier in Egypt where Lisa's first dream coalesced. _"I won't let you hurt him!" a young woman shouted at the… thing her love, Guardian of the Millennium Rod Seto, had once called father. Kisara was a simple girl with white blonde hair that shone with a blue-white glow, and eyes the color of the summer sky. And she sensed great evil from the man-turned-monster that stood in front of her. Seto's father, Akunadin, had been consumed by his ambitions, carefully hidden jealousy of his twin brother, the late Pharaoh Akunkamen, his nephew, the current Pharaoh, and the power of the dark side.

The dark side within this prince of Egypt had only recently been allowed in the open by the great thief king, Bakura. Akunadin was now willing to do anything to give his only child ultimate power, and at this moment that meant killing the girl his son loved in order to capture the spirit of the monster within her. _I'll let that thing kill me first_, she heard her love think. But Kisara couldn't allow Seto to die for her, so she pushed in front of him, ready to take the blow herself….

"_**Nooooooo**_!" Seto shouted, and a powerful shield rose around the young prince and girl. The attack that the monster Akunadin had launched rebounded upon its creator and the Guardian of the Millennium Eye, the prince of Egypt and father of Guardian Seto was obliterated like dew on a plant in the desert heat.

"How...?" Kisara was startled.

"Kisara, my love," Seto said softly, drawing her into a hug. They stayed in that embrace for a long moment, him holding her tightly. Seto could have his choice of any woman in Egypt, but he loved and wanted this woman and her alone. _She stands barely as high as my shoulder, _he thought, _and she may not be of noble blood, but she is the most beautiful woman in Egypt to me._ "You're all right?" he asked her.

She nodded, now looking into his eyes. "How about you?"

"I'm okay now," he answered, voice tight with emotion. They moved their lips closer, almost touching, when the sound of hoof beats against the temple stone made the young Guardian relax his grip on his love.

"Seto!" shouted a deep tenor voice.

"My Lord Pharaoh!" the Guardian called.

"Seto, are you all right?" the young man asked, dismounting from his horse. "And who is this?" he queried, moving toward the couple. Kisara immediately sank to her knees, not meeting the young ruler's eyes.

"My Lord Pharaoh," she said reverently, eyes to the stone tiles.

Atem, King of all Egypt, looked at the prostrate girl. "Is this the girl you brought to the palace?"

Guardian Seto nodded. "Yes, Pharaoh. The man I once called 'father' was willing to kill her to…" He frowned, and the pharaoh thought he saw the trace of tears in his… cousin's… eyes.

"I know… Cousin. I also know you would not seek the throne by force." Seto looked up at being addressed so informally by a young man who, just a short time ago, was simply the King of Egypt. Now, they were cousins. "Why did Akunadin never tell me that you and I were cousins? For that matter, why did Father never tell me?" Atem asked.

"I wonder why Father never revealed himself to me. I was so young when he left," Seto wondered.

The pharaoh then looked again at the kneeling girl. "Kisara, right?" he asked kindly.

"Yes, Your Highness," she said in a small voice, still not looking up at him.

"Kisara, rise and look upon me. I am human, as any other man in Egypt. If anyone should be kneeling, it is I who should be kneeling to you. You have helped to defeat…" Kisara had started to look at the pharaoh, and then behind him, the sky abruptly darkened.

"Zorc," Seto groaned.

"On my horse, quickly!" Atem commanded, and the three teens raced to the Egyptian capitol.

The battle was raging, and the casualties were mounting. Five Guardians of the Millennium Items had fallen already. First, Guardian Mahaad had been killed at the Magicians' Training Grounds by the thief king Bakura; then Guardian Carim had been killed in the ruins of Kul-Elna village. Finally, Guardians Isis, Shada and Shimon had been killed defending the capitol against Zorc.

Now, it was up to Pharaoh Atem, Seto, Kisara and Mana, a young girl with brown hair and blue eyes who had been Mahaad's apprentice to protect Egypt and the world from what Christians would later refer to as the Apocalypse. And so, the two Millennium Item holders, the keeper of the sacred White Dragon and the keeper of the Dark Magician Girl stood as Zorc approached the city."Look at the size of that thing!" Mana yelped.

"We can defeat it, Mana," Kisara said determinedly. "We just need to combine our powers!" Kisara summoned the Blue Eyes White Dragon, Seto summoned his Two-Headed Jackal, Mana summoned the Dark Magician Girl, and the Pharaoh summoned the three Egyptian God Monsters, combining their powers. Three monsters became one, and with the help of the others, Zorc was sealed away.

"_**We did it**_!" Mana cheered, jumping excitedly.

The pharaoh smiled and answered, "We did, Mana. It's over."

"Now what?" Seto asked. "Kisara?" She was staring out at the damaged capitol, where fires were still burning.

"Umm…" Despite having helped to save the planet, she was suddenly very nervous, offering her opinion on what should happen in Egypt with its ruler standing right there. Seto gently placed his hand on his love's shoulder, and again she found herself looking at Pharaoh Atem. Who she saw was a young man with hair the colors of ebony, lightning and wine and eyes like the edge of the sky at sunset. He looked to be about her age and slightly taller than she was, and certainly didn't seem the imposing figure she'd seen on the palace balcony the day of his coronation. Nevertheless…

"Kisara," Atem said gently, "my cousin values what you say, so I will as well. What should we do, then?"

The platinum blonde girl took a deep breath and answered, "My Pharaoh, I believe we should help to repair the city. There are many people who have lost everything and could use our help to rebuild their lives. And with your permission, I would like to go into the city to see what must be done."

"All right, then. Before you do, however, I would like to do something for you. As the supreme ruler of Egypt, I decide who is declared royalty. By virtue of my cousin falling in love with you and the fact that you selflessly defended Egypt and were willing to give your life, I hereby make you a princess of Egypt. You will have new quarters here in the palace. So let it be written, so let it be done."

Before Kisara could say words of thanks or of shock, the young man with blue eyes and brown hair looked at the newly-made princess and then at his cousin. "That makes what I wish to ask you easier, Cousin, and you as well, Kisara. I would like to have Kisara's hand in marriage. Kisara, will you be my wife?" The pharaoh nodded his permission. Kisara, struck dumb by the joy she was feeling, could only nod, tears in her happy eyes.

Mana smiled at this development, and then summoned Spiria, a fairy monster that had belonged to Guardian Isis. "I'll help you, Princess. Would you like to ride with me or walk the streets?"

"I'd prefer to walk, Mana, thank you." Mana jumped on the back of the monster, and flew off riding sidesaddle. Kisara headed out of the palace on foot, palace guards trailing a comfortable distance behind.

Y

Kisara walked through the streets for over two hours, and was saddened by the destruction all around her. The girl who had just had so much given to her now saw what had been taken away from others. Parents were removing their dead children from the rubble of damaged homes, as children found their dead families. But perhaps the saddest thing Kisara saw that day led to one of the happiest things in her and Seto's life together.

In the last place where Zorc had walked, two small boys had been fleeing the destroyer. The older boy had dragged his little brother away from the battle to what he thought was safety when the side of a building gave way. The older boy shoved his brother out of the way at the cost of his own life. The little boy had dug through the rubble to try and save his brother, but his excavation had been in vain. He had been sitting here for several hours when a young woman came to him.

Kisara had been walking with her detail for almost an hour and a half when she heard a child's sobs down a lonely street. She turned the corner and saw, near a pile of rubble, a little boy with hair the color of a raven's wing. He was crying over… _Oh, no!_ Kisara thought as she came closer. He was crying over another child who looked as Seto had looked on that day not too long ago when he'd rescued her from slavers. The girl's heart ached for this little child, because she knew what it was to lose her family at such a young age. She came closer and saw the sweet face the living boy had. "Seto… Seto," he cried softly, and turned hearing the footsteps.

The little boy gasped at the sight of the white-haired girl, and asked in a scared voice, "Are—are you a spirit?" looking at her with gray eyes with a hint of the blue sky in them.

"No, little one," she answered. "My name's Kisara. What's yours?"

"M-mokuba. My brother… he saved me from that big monster thing." The small boy resumed crying, and Kisara held him close.

"Where are your parents?"

"S-seto said that Mommy and Daddy went west of the Nile." And he began sobbing and keening. She held the little boy in a tight hug until he passed out. Kisara looked up at her guards who had kept a respectful distance while the child had cried in her arms.

One of the guards walked up to her and asked, "Miss Kisara, are you all right?"

"Yes, thank you. Please get a burial detail and bring this child's body back to the palace to be prepared."

"Miss?"

"I wish this child to be treated as a member of the Royal Family who has passed into the next world."

"Yes, Miss Kisara. What of the child you're holding?" he asked. For Kisara, there was indecision to what she must do next.

"I will take Mokuba back to the palace with me. He has no one, and he will have me." With that, she stood up, hefted the small boy in her arms and carried him back to the palace. Mana, flying above the city, saw Kisara bearing her precious burden and quickly flew back to the palace.

"Thanks, Spiria!" Mana said as she slid off the monster's back and it flew away. Atem and Seto had been overlooking the city and talking on top of the palace since the young women had departed on their mission and saw Mana come in for a landing.

"Mana, what's happening? Are you through?" Atem asked.

"Yes, Mana, that seemed quick," Seto added.

"Kisara's heading back to the palace," the girl answered. "She's got a child with her, it looks like."

"A child?" Seto asked.

"Yeah." Without a word, the three young people raced to the ground level of the palace in time to see the white-haired young woman coming up the steps, flanked by guards and carrying a small, raven-haired child. The guards were making certain Kisara didn't drop her precious burden.

"Kisara, what's going on?" Seto asked, coming up to her. Atem and Mana hung back.

"I found him crying over his brother's corpse, and I couldn't just leave him in the streets, my love," she said, tears filling her blue eyes at the remembrance. Seto's face softened as he remembered being alone.

"He's little more than a baby," the Guardian said softly, ruffling the child's hair.

"I believe he is about four summers old, and his name is Mokuba. Pharaoh," Kisara asked, turning to her beloved's cousin, "can we keep him here?"

Atem nodded, and mourned, "If only I had been able to stop Zorc sooner…"

Kisara took a breath, and said, "Your Highness, please don't blame yourself. You are not responsible for what Zorc did."

"But I…"

"Cousin, Kisara is right," Seto said gently. "What we can do now is help the people, and help little Mokuba."

Atem, with a slightly better expression, nodded, then clapped his hands lightly, summoning servants. "Please take Princess Kisara and this child to her chambers. Help them clean up and give them new clothing."

Y

Kisara was awed by the beauty of her chambers as she was led in. The walls were of alabaster stone, the cushions were made of a fabric she'd never seen before and she could smell delectable perfumes in the air. The young woman laid the small Mokuba onto a bed, and sat down on a soft cushion. "Miss Kisara," said a young woman with dark hair and eyes, "my name is Neferteri and I will attend you and the child. Would you care for some pomegranate juice while you wait for the other servants to ready your bath?"

"My bath? Yes, thank you." It had been some time since Kisara had bathed, and such a thing sounded good. Neferteri poured some juice into a cup from an earthen pitcher and handed it to Kisara. The girl took a sip of the juice and it tasted delicious.

"When the little one wakes up, we will bathe him too," Neferteri said.

The dark haired servant then called in other servants who brought in various fabrics. "Oh, my, I've never seen such fabrics!" Kisara couldn't help saying.

"The pharaoh and Guardian Seto wish you to choose fabric for new clothing for yourself and the child. As you are now a princess, you need new things," Neferteri said, smiling.

"All right," Kisara answered and made her selections. She chose soft white and blue fabrics for herself, and bright colors for Mokuba. Then the servants led her to the bathing chamber where she was pampered as she never had been in her life. Her skin and hair were cleansed, and when the bath was through, Kisara's hair shone with a blue-white brilliance. She was dressed in a set of new clothes, and later returned to the main chamber of the palace with little Mokuba in tow, looking every inch a princess of Egypt.

Y

Two weeks later, Kisara, Seto and Mokuba came before the Pharaoh. "Let it be known to the world," Atem intoned, "that Kisara is a princess of Egypt, holder of the Millennium Necklace and wife of my cousin, Seto, Guardian of the Millennium Rod and Prince of Egypt." Servants placed the necklace that had belonged to Guardian Isis around Kisara's neck and a circlet with sapphires in it on her head. "The child, Mokuba," Atem continued, "is now the child of Seto and Kisara and is a Prince of Egypt." The pharaoh smiled as the four-year-old looked up at him with wide eyes. "Is that all right with you, little one?" The raven-haired boy looked back at his new parents.

"Go ahead, answer him truthfully," Seto coaxed.

"Y-yes, my Lord Pharaoh," Mokuba said. "I'm glad they'll be my mommy and daddy." He turned and hugged them both, and Kisara felt an intense wave of sheer bliss….

_The image of Egypt dissolved. _Lisa woke up for a brief moment, feeling the bliss from her dream. She also had a feeling that somehow… she… knew… that… girl. She drifted back to sleep, but this time, she dreamed of the future…

_"Lisa?" I'm coming, Seto. He sounds so happy, like the other night when we were just getting to know each other. "I have something for you." There he is, wearing the same suit, shirt and tie he was wearing the day he interviewed me. Mokuba is standing with him. Seto places a necklace around my neck which looks exactly like the lockets he and Mokuba wear. And then, abruptly, the scene changes. We're standing on top of a building with Yugi and his friends and a storm is approaching. We're all holding lightsabers and facing the storm that seems like an approaching enemy. Seto and I are wearing wedding bands, and I look down at myself…. What the…? Am I pregnant?! Is this the future?!_

Lisa Hammond woke up briefly again. She had dreamed of the white-haired girl since she was little and in her dreams, the girl had been the same age she was when she had the dream. She'd never dreamed of Seto before… She drifted back to sleep before she could think more about it.

_This concludes Chapter Six. You know something more about Lisa now… or do you? Her dream doesn't sound like what we know, does it? Is she dreaming the right past? Well, you'll just have to keep reading, won't you? Thanks to Glimerofhope and The Akemi Queen of Sakia for the reviews. Until next time…_


	10. A Secret Revealed

Chapter 7: A Secret Revealed

_I own nothing but the plot and OCs. This story is © Peach Wookiee Tales, 2007._

_**Author's notes, over five years later: **__There wasn't much to change in this chapter except phrasing and section breaks._

While Doctor Lisa Hammond slept on into Friday afternoon, Seto, Mokuba and Roland relaxed and played card games (except for Duel Monsters—Mokuba insisted). "Mokuba, I'd really like to check my stocks…"

"No, Seto, you're not supposed to work."

"Roland, I really need to go to my office…"

"Sir, I can't let you do that. I'm under Dr. Hammond's orders."

"But I…"

"Seto," Mokuba said clearly, "no. You're just getting better, and Lisa's right. If you work too soon, you'll just get sick again."

The teen CEO, looking his usual surly self, scowled and said, "I've clearly lost this argument, haven't I?" The two others in the room nodded.

"Roland," Seto asked, "could you check my temperature? I imagine the doctor would like to see how I'm doing."

"All right, sir." Roland took an ear thermometer and checked. "You're just about normal, sir. Your temp is at 99.2°. I think you're on the mend."

Seto seemed on the verge of arguing that he could get back to work, but seeing the expression on his brother's face (Roland wisely kept an impassive expression) made the teen realize that forcing the work issue was not an option. "Maybe we should order some dinner."

"Good idea, sir," the security guard answered. "Oh, the young lady had a jacket cleaned, and it's ready to be sent to its owner. Shall I take care of it?"

"Hold on, whose jacket is it?"

"Joseph Wheeler's, I believe."

Seto remembered the other night and the beat-up green jacket his brother had been wrapped in. "Yeah, send it to him."

"Yes, sir."

Mokuba, however, barely remembered his trip to the bathroom. "Big brother? Why is Joey's jacket here?"

"He used it to keep you from getting a chill on Tuesday night. Oh, and Roland, thanks for going above and beyond what you had to do. Take the next 24 hours off and be with your family. We'll be okay."

"Thank you, sir. Good night, sir. Good night, Mokuba."

"Good night, Roland."

"Night, Roland."

As soon as Roland left, Seto looked at Mokuba. "What should we get for dinner?"

"Think you could handle Thai food, Seto?"

"One star spicy, maybe. But does Lisa like it?"

Mokuba gave Seto the "I knew something before you did" look that only younger siblings can give their elders. "I googled her name on the Internet after we hired her. She has a webpage that tells all about her. And she loves Thai food."

"Are you sure you got the right Lisa Hammond?"

The little boy only rolled his eyes, and answered, "Yes, Seto; it had her picture and her birthday, and some information about her family."

Seto couldn't help being impressed with his brother's investigative work. "Nice work, little brother." And so they called the Hansa Thai restaurant and ordered some food to be delivered.

Lisa finally awoke at six PM. "Urmph…" She pushed herself into a sitting position and looked at the clock. _I slept for eight hours. Was I that tired? Of course you were. You've been up late two nights in a row!_ She got out of bed, headed into the bathroom, then changed into some pink silk pajamas. The nightgown she'd chosen to sleep in was too revealing to go check on her patients. _What the—? _She noticed the beautiful vase of roses on her nightstand. There was a card sitting next to the vase, and she opened it. "To Lisa," it read. "Thanks for taking care of us. Seto and Mokuba." She could sense Seto's presence most strongly around the flowers. _Great, he saw me,_ she thought, cheeks reddening. Then… _He saw me_, she thought with a wicked grin. She pulled on a pair of pink ballet-style slippers, and headed down the hall.

"Hi, Lisa! Seto's better," Mokuba greeted.

"Good evening, Lisa," Seto added. "Mokuba can vouch for me. I haven't worked."

Lisa smiled. "But you thought about it, didn't you?"

"Mea culpa," he admitted.

"Thanks for the roses, boys, and… thanks for covering me up, Seto."

Seto nodded curtly. "We ordered dinner while you were sleeping. Is Thai food all right?"

"That'd be great. You didn't order it too spicy, did you?"

Y

At 7:00, the two teens and little boy ate their dinners in the spacious kitchen. "You guys could use a change of scenery," Lisa said, "and the staff can freshen up the rooms."

"Can we watch a movie later?" Mokuba asked his brother and Lisa.

Seto nodded. "If it's okay with Lisa, we can."

"Sure," she answered, "why not?"

"You pick, Lisa!"

Lisa thought a minute. "How about _Spirited Away?_ Would that be all right?"

"Yeah!" Mokuba answered.

"_Spirited Away_ it is then," Seto said.

"So, Lisa," the teen CEO asked as they ate pad thai with prawns, "do you play any games?"

"Oh, not that often. I know a little bit about Duel Monsters, obviously, but I highly doubt I could hold my own in a duel. I'm not really into TCGs. But I do play video games."

"Which ones?" Mokuba wanted to know.

"_The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time_ and _Majora's Mask,_" she answered.

"How well can you play?" Seto asked, his right eyebrow raised.

"I've beaten both games about, oh, ten times," she answered, smiling mischievously. "What about you guys?" Seto admitted he only played when Mokuba wanted to, while Mokuba launched into a detailed description of some of his favorite video games.

"How about music?" Lisa asked.

"I like most of the same stuff Seto does," Mokuba answered. "We both like Evanescence, Linkin Park, some Nirvana and I like some J-pop. You, Lisa?"

"Oh, you guys'll think I'm boring, but I like movie soundtracks by Jerry Goldsmith and John Williams, and I like Barry Manilow, Neil Diamond, the soundtrack from _Moulin Rouge_, and there are a few others."

Seto snickered. "Barry Manilow?!"

"What can I say? I was raised on 'Copacabana.'" They continued to talk for a few minutes more, and then headed up to Mokuba's room to watch the movie.

Seto, Lisa and Mokuba started _Spirited Away_ at 8:00. At first, Mokuba was bright-eyed, but before Chihiro met Lin for the first time, the child had fallen sound asleep.

"Aw, Seto, look," Lisa whispered, smiling fondly. Seto also smiled, his face illuminated only by the light of the TV screen.

"He never makes it through a movie after a long night." The two teens watched the movie to the end, then quietly slid off the bed and left Mokuba's bedroom.

"Your temp is normal. I think you're better," Lisa said when she finished checking her boss's vitals back in his bedroom. "How do you feel?"

"Better, but…"

"But?" she asked.

"I'm a little nervous," he admitted, his calm, almost emotionless mask showing some cracks.

"Why?" she asked.

"Lisa…" His voice rose an octave and he forced it down. "Lisa, I was talking to Mokuba while you slept and… I know this is probably out of line, but I asked him before I asked you; would you like to see me in a social way?" He forced the last part out fast, and it took a second before Lisa realized he was asking her out.

She looked up at him, and though his eyes betrayed his nervousness, the rest of his face was the usual mask. But thanks to her senses, she could also tell he really wanted this. _He actually likes me, but will he like me if he knows..?_ She hadn't told anybody besides a select group of people that she had her powers. _Can I actually trust him, and will he consider me a freak?_ She trembled, and he noticed.

"Lisa, what is it?"

"I know a secret of yours. But can you handle one of mine?" She looked straight into his eyes, and what he saw surprised him. Lisa had struck him as very confident, but right now, she was… afraid.

"What are you afraid of?" he asked gently, wanting to put his arms around her but not daring to as they were now sitting on his bed. "Did somebody hurt you?"

"No, no. But what I'm going to tell you… you'll think I'm a freak."

Something told him to reassure her. "Even if you have webbed toes, I won't call you a freak." _He means it,_ she realized.

"Okay." She held out her hands toward the door. Seto couldn't tell what was happening at first, but then a rose from the bouquet he'd gotten for her in her room came floating toward Lisa and into her hand.

"How… how did you…?" Seto was staring in disbelief, and yet couldn't deny the evidence in front of him. "You have telekinetic powers?"

She nodded. "But that's not it. Ever since I was a baby, I've had these powers that make me… well, like a Jedi."

"Jedi? You mean like _Star Wars_?"

_He believes me._ "Yeah, like _Star Wars_. I can sense people."

"That sounds more like… um…"

"Who?" she asked.

"You're going to think I'm a geek."

"Seto?"

"Yeah?"

"You are a geek."

"What?!" He actually couldn't believe that someone was calling him a geek.

"It's not a bad thing," she pointed out, laughing a little. "Think about it. So am I. Bill Gates is a computer geek. And even though it's clear you actually use your weight room and you're in better physical shape, you're a computer geek. You're also a gaming geek."

He saluted her, expression having gone from neutral to slightly annoyed back to neutral. "Point taken. Well, you sound like Counselor Troi."

"You watch _Star Trek: The Next Generation_?"

"Yeah. You do, too?"

"You bet. So, do you still want to go out with me, knowing that I have abilities and am a decided geek?" The teen boy pulled the girl into a hug and she didn't fight it.

"Would I do this if I didn't?" He tilted her chin up and kissed her slowly.

_Breathe,_ she reminded herself.

Seto pulled back. "Have you ever been kissed before?" he asked curiously.

She was blushing a shade of deep pink, and she shook her blonde-brown head. "Nobody ever wanted to before."

"Can I do it again?" he asked suavely.

"Okay."

"Just relax." He kissed her again, and this time she relaxed into it. His lips were firm against hers, and the rest of him was that way as well. Her hands pressed against his shoulder blades as his arms around her tightened. _Oh, my goodness, I didn't know it could be this good,_ she marveled. It was the kind of kiss that seemed to go on forever, but of course, it couldn't.

When they broke apart, Lisa's heart was pounding. So was Seto's. "How—how far do we want to go with this?" he asked, sounding as if he'd run two miles.

Lisa, equally breathless, said softly, "I'm… not ready. If you want to go where part of me's wanting to go…"

"Would that be so bad?" he asked softly. Seto didn't want to press her into doing something they might both regret later, but he couldn't deny his hormones were getting control right now.

"You'd…" She trailed off.

"I'd… what?"

She took a nervous breath. "You'd… be my first. And I'm not going to give that up to anybody. The first and only person I want to be with is the man I'm going to marry."

"So," he asked, "you'd have to at least be engaged?"

"That's right," she answered, blushing even more deeply.

"That's nothing to be embarrassed about," he said, brushing a lock of hair out of her face. He was smiling a little, but there was sadness there. She didn't probe into his mind to find out why he was sad. "And… I can live with that, Leese. And maybe someday…"

"Yeah…"

"Good night, Lisa. See you in the morning."

"Good night, Seto."

Y

The next morning, Mokuba woke up at 7:00 to watch his Saturday morning cartoons which were a collection of DVDs. He had every bash 'em-up slugfest cartoon from the 1980s which, in Mokuba's opinion, were a lot more fun than many of the current offerings on TV which emphasized non-violent solutions to problems rather than blasting the bad guys to smithereens. At 8:00, the little boy went to see if his brother and doctor were awake. Mokuba hadn't learned Lisa's sleeping patterns yet, so he wasn't surprised to see her still sleeping. But his big brother, who was usually up long before he was, was still sleeping. So the nine-year-old went down to the kitchen, fixed himself some Cocoa Puffs, then headed back upstairs and got himself ready for the day.

Seto and Lisa slept until 9:30. Both staggered into their bathrooms, took showers and got dressed. Seto got down to the kitchen five minutes before Lisa did because she had to blow dry and style her hair. When Lisa got into the kitchen, Seto was already sitting at the table, eating a bagel with cream cheese and drinking a glass of orange juice. Lisa went to the fridge, grabbed some cranberry juice and then got a glazed doughnut. She sat down next to him, and said, "Good morning, Seto."

"Morning, Lisa," he returned. "Sleep okay?"

"Yeah," she answered.

She quickly took his temperature and smiled. "You're back to normal. I think you'll be okay."

"Could I convince you to stay the weekend, just to be safe?"

"All right, then. Seto…"

"Are you okay with what happened last night?"

"We didn't go too far. So neither of us has a reason to feel guilty. You still don't think I'm a freak?"

Seto stood, pulling her into a hug. "No way. I think you're amazing. One question: Could you handle it if the press finds out about us?"

Lisa thought for a minute, and Seto could feel her nod against his chest. "What about you?" she asked softly.

"I can and I'll be glad to. But let's not rush that."

She pulled away slightly, a smile on her face. "It might be a little more fun that way. Now, I had an idea for today."

"Yeah?"

"You two could use fresh air and it's a warm day. Maybe we could go to…"

"_**The beach**_?" Mokuba yelped excitedly.

"Yeah, Mokuba. Your brother said it was okay, and I thought both of you could use a little fresh air since you've been cooped up in the house for four days," Lisa confirmed, smiling.

"Little brother, do you think you can be ready in, say, twenty minutes?" Seto asked.

"Yeah! I'll be back!" Mokuba tore up the stairs to his room to get ready.

"What about you, Lisa?" he asked, laying his hand on her shoulder.

"Give me half an hour. I hope you didn't have your people pick out bikinis!" With that, she sauntered up the stairs with him. Seto headed to his room, while Lisa headed to hers.

In fifteen minutes, Seto was down at the bottom of the grand staircase, wearing dark blue swim trunks with silver stripes down the sides and a white T-shirt along with some dark flip flops. Mokuba came down the stairs a minute later, wearing red swim trunks with blue stripes down the sides, along with bright red flip flops. He hadn't put his white T-shirt on yet because he needed Seto's help to get sunscreen on. "Where's Lisa?" Mokuba asked as Seto slathered on his sun block.

"She's upstairs getting her stuff on."

"Why is she taking longer than us, big brother?"

"I think it's a girl thing, Mokie." Seto then noticed his little brother really smiling. "What is it?"

"You called me Mokie again. You haven't called me that since…"

"Yeah," Seto said and both their expressions sobered. "Well, let's just enjoy the day, okay?"

"Okay, big brother." _I'll smile for both of us,_ Mokuba thought, seeing that his brother remained serious.

Several minutes passed, and finally… "Sorry to keep you waiting," Lisa said, coming down the stairs.

_Oh, man,_ Seto thought. Lisa was dressed in a red halter-top one-piece swimsuit and jean shorts that came less than halfway down her thighs and a pair of red wedge open-toed sandals. "I had a little trouble with my sunscreen."

"Lisa, you look awesome! Doesn't she, Seto?" Mokuba asked.

Seto nodded. "You look… amazing."

"Good."

Y

The teens and little boy arrived at the beach at 11:30. Seto had selected this beach because he knew it was virtually deserted, and he, Lisa and Mokuba wouldn't have to worry about anyone coming to take pictures of them. "So, what would you like to do first, Mokuba?" Seto asked.

"Bury you in the sand," Mokuba answered with a devilish grin. "Lisa, can you help?"

"You're on, kiddo!" The nine-year-old ran on ahead of the teens, and Seto took the opportunity to take Lisa's hand so they could walk hand in hand.

"Hey, Seto?"

"Yeah, Lisa?"

"You're okay with getting buried in the sand?"

"Yeah. Mokie hasn't done that since I was nine. It was the last time we went to the beach with Dad." She let go of his hand and slipped her left arm around him and he put his right arm around her.

"You might want to take your T-shirt off," she said, taking her shorts off. He took a deep breath.

"I… haven't done this in a long time… I mean… I haven't taken my shirt off outside the mansion without being able to change into something else quick."

She took a deep breath and reached out with her powers. "It's okay. No one's here but us."

"I keep forgetting. You can tell." So he pulled off his shirt.

Mokuba was waiting a few yards away and stared in surprise. "Seto?" he called out.

"It's okay, Mokie. No one's here but us."

"How can you tell?" he asked as they got closer.

"Mokuba, little brother, Lisa has something she wants to tell you." And so, as they dug the small trench, Lisa told Mokuba about her powers. He accepted it easily, and watched as Lisa used her powers to lift a bucket of water from the ocean and surreptitiously dump it on her boyfriend. "_**Lisa**_!" Seto shouted, chasing her down.

After Seto was buried in the sand and quickly escaped, the three kids built a sandcastle, then had fun collapsing it using buckets of water. "Sandcastle, you're going down!" Mokuba said, mock-wickedly, dumping his bucket of water.

"I play Tidal Surge," Seto grinned as he poured.

"Mercury Aqua Rhapsody!" Lisa shouted from a distance, blasting down the rest of the castle, controlling the water with her powers.

"Lisa, wasn't that a Sailor Moon attack?" Mokuba asked, looking confused, as did Seto.

Lisa blushed. "I like Sailor Moon. Just don't ask me to imitate Sailor Mars." After that, they went for a swim in a little cove, then headed back to the limo and got a picnic basket. They ate their lunches, and then the boys partially buried Lisa in sand, making her look like a mermaid. Again, the three swam in the surf and then decided to head for home.

"Big brother, can we come back here again?"

"Sure, Mokuba. I… actually had fun today," the older boy admitted.

"Can you come with us, Lisa?" the younger boy asked. The teen CEO looked at his girlfriend as she answered.

"Of course. I'd be glad to join you two."

"Guys?"

"Yes, Mokuba?"

"I'm hungry." And so they stopped at a Taco Bell drive-through and picked up dinner. The teens and boy headed home, took hot baths, got their pajamas on, ate dinner, and then settled into Mokuba's room to watch _Kiki's Delivery Service_. Mokuba fell asleep only ten minutes into the film and Seto followed ten minutes later. _I'll get up in a few minutes,_ Lisa thought, resolving to get up and head to her guestroom, but she was so heavily fatigued that she fell asleep thirty minutes after they started the movie.

Roland, having followed his employer's edict to stay with his own family for twenty-four hours had returned to the mansion at 9:15 PM. He went upstairs to check on Seto and Mokuba, and saw the two boys and Lisa sound asleep, the little boy asleep between the teenagers. The man smiled at this, then tiptoed into the bedroom. He turned off the movie, grabbed a huge blanket and laid it over the kids. He noticed that the young doctor looked a bit flushed, but didn't worry. He walked quietly to the door and turned off the bedroom light. _Good night, kids, _he thought.

_I know, I know. Seto Kaiba has just gone out of character. I'm assuming that with the right person and having to face certain things, he would start to come out of his shell. I know it was a little weird to see Seto acting cordially toward Yugi and his friends two chapters ago, but he knows how to behave when he has to._

_I'd love to see some more reviews, folks, and thanks to all of you who are reading!_


	11. Flamis Acribus Addictis

Chapter VIII: Flammis Acribus Addictis/ Into the Searing Flames

_Hello again, Yu-Gi-Oh fans! First, thanks to Glimerofhope and Cymoril Avalon for reviewing my tale. I'm glad Cymoril liked my backgrounds and Glimerofhope gave me a huge compliment. Izzie Stevens is one of my favorite characters on _Grey's Anatomy_ though she wasn't the person Lisa was patterned after. Izzie is pretty cool, and I'm glad you think Lisa's like her! I'd also like to thank Web MD for being my source for how to treat febrile seizures properly._

_So we see Seto and Lisa are falling for each other, and Mokuba couldn't be more thrilled about it. Is it happening too fast? I don't know. But I'm hoping that it seems natural. Well, when last we left off, the Kaibas and Lisa had fallen asleep together watching a movie. So what does Sunday hold for these three young souls? I don't own anything but this story, Lisa, her family and any non-established characters, darlings…_

_**Author's notes, over five years later:**__ There weren't many changes here. I did, however, change the title of the Miyazaki movie Seto, Lisa and Mokuba watched. I also sorted out some dialogue._

Mokuba awoke on Sunday morning gradually. _When did I fall asleep?_ Then he realized he wasn't alone. _Seto…_ His brother was asleep on his left, and he felt another warm body on his right. _Lisa? Oh, yeah. We were watching the movie together._ Mokuba tapped his brother's shoulder. "Seto! Big brother!" he whispered sharply, "wake up."

The older boy stirred, opened his eyes, yawned and sat up, stretching. "Urmph… Mokuba, did we fall asleep?"

"I think we did," Mokuba answered softly. "Lisa fell asleep with us."

"Lisa?" Seto looked over to see his doctor and girlfriend still sleeping. "She's… hold on, Mokuba, does she look a little warm to you?"

The little boy nodded and moved so his brother could check. "Leese," he said softly, putting his hand on her shoulder, "hey, wake up. Lisa?! Lisa!" She wasn't waking; what was worse, she felt really hot. "Mokuba," Seto asked, trying to keep the panic out of his voice but failing, "go get that ear thermometer of hers. I think she's caught our flu bug." Mokuba got off of the bed and ran to Lisa's room. Seto, meanwhile, kept trying to wake the girl. "Leese, come on, wake up." She groaned, stirred and started to gag. He quickly picked her up and got her to the toilet in time. She threw up hard, and he held her so she wouldn't hurt herself. Mokuba came back to the room to hear the vomiting and raced into the bathroom.

"Seto?" Mokuba asked, his eyes wide.

"Mokie, she's really sick. Does she have a cell phone?" The raven-headed boy nodded. "Go get it. I need to call one of her friends." Seto knew he couldn't take care of Lisa alone like she'd taken care of him and Mokuba. _A female doctor taking care of two boys is one thing, but me taking care of a girl when I'm not a doctor is another thing, especially since no one knows about us yet,_ he thought. Lisa had stopped throwing up, and was breathing hard. "Lisa, I'll take care of you," he murmured, picking her up and carrying her bridal-style back to Mokuba's bed.

Mokuba returned and held out the cell phone. "Seto…" Without a word, Seto took the cell phone from his brother and thumbed the Contacts button.

Over at Domino Children's Hospital, Jean Louise "Scout" Rhodes was sitting in the cafeteria enjoying a cup of coffee. She had no surgeries today, and was looking forward to going home in a few hours to play with her son, Atticus and her daughter, Alexis. _Jack's been so good to keep an eye on them. I wonder how Lisa's doing with the Kaibas…_ And then her phone rang. _Oh, it's Lisa_, she thought, seeing the caller ID. "Hi, Lisa!" she greeted answering the phone, "how're…?"

"Is this Doctor Rhodes?" asked a slightly familiar male voice.

"Yes, who's this?"

"This is Seto Kaiba," he answered, "and I need your help. Li… Dr. Hammond has caught the flu virus that my brother and I had and she's really sick."

"Okay, honey, calm down. What's her temperature?" Seto checked and Scout could hear his nervous swallow.

"She's… oh, no. Her temp is 106.5."

"Is she conscious?" Scout asked, now really concerned.

"No, and she threw up really hard just a few minutes ago. She still wouldn't wake up."

"Okay, I want you to hang up from me and call 911. It'll be okay, Mr. Kaiba." Seto did as she asked and hung up, and then grabbed the land line. He punched in 911 and got an ambulance to come quickly.

Mokuba ran down the stairs and opened the front door for the paramedics. "She's upstairs. Is she gonna be okay?" he asked, panicked.

"We'll do our best, kid," the redheaded female paramedic said. She and her partner, a blonde-haired woman with brown eyes had a gurney and they went up the stairs, following the little boy.

Seto had just hung up from 911 when something started to happen to Lisa. "Hang in there, Lisa. You'll be okay." Her breathing became labored and suddenly she began to shake. "Lisa?! _**Lisa**_!" She was shaking uncontrollably, and Seto began to panic.

"Big brother, what's happening?!" Mokuba had come racing into the bedroom to see the beginnings of the seizure.

"I don't know."

"It's a febrile seizure. We'll handle it," said the blonde paramedic. Seto moved away from the bed and held his brother in a hug for a minute as the paramedics began their work.

"Okay, let's get her under control," one paramedic said to the other. They got her onto her side so her breathing would become more relaxed, and then the seizure ended. They quickly removed her clothing and put her on the gurney. Then they put ice packs all over her body and then covered her with a blanket.

"Would you two like to ride along with us?" the redheaded paramedic asked the boys.

"Yeah, of course," Seto answered.

"What's your relationship with this girl?" the blonde asked. Seto took a deep breath, knowing which answer would keep them with her.

"She's my girlfriend. The three of us were watching a movie last night and we all fell asleep here."

"Okay. Well come on." Seto and Mokuba barely had time to grab their bedroom slippers, but headed down the stairs.

Once in the ambulance, Seto sat down on a bench, Mokuba at his side. Lisa was still unconscious. She was pale to begin with, and with the cold, she seemed as white as a sheet. Seto, seeing her like that, had what he'd call in later years a flash image of the past. In his mind's eye, he saw her with hair that was white but with a slightly blue sheen to it. Her skin had a bluish pallor, and he was placing a blanket over her lifeless form. _No,_ he thought, shaking away the specter, _she's not going to die. I won't let her._ When he looked at Lisa again, she had blonde-brown hair and she was most definitely alive. He reached out and took her hand, which was a bit cold and clammy due to the fact that she was packed in ice like a fish at the Domino Public Market.

"Big brother?"

"Yeah, Mokuba?"

"Umm… we didn't change out of our pajamas." Seto looked at his brother and then looked at himself.

"Oh, great. We didn't." Then the teen boy gave his little brother a little bit of a smile. "Could be worse, Mokie."

"How?"

"We could've been in our bathrobes." The little boy started to laugh, and then sobered.

"Is she gonna be okay?"

The blonde paramedic, who'd just placed an IV in Lisa's right arm, though looking serious, nodded. "I think she'll be all right. What we're going do is make sure her temperature stays down and that she gets rest and plenty of fluids."

"Where are we going?" the nine-year-old asked.

"We're heading to Domino Children's Hospital since she's still a kid."

"Lisa works there," Seto said softly.

"Wait a minute, what's her name?"

"Lisa Hammond. She's my brother's personal doctor."

Y

Scout Rhodes, Hiro Misawa, Darla Truesdale and Jayda Yuki stood at the ER, waiting for Lisa to be brought in. She was their friend, but to the older doctors, she was also still a kid who needed to be looked after. Two other ambulances had pulled up in the past fifteen minutes, but they hadn't had Lisa and the ER doctors could handle the emergencies. Finally, the third ambulance that pulled up held the young girl that they were watching for. Also with her were two boys that Lisa had talked about in recent weeks, wearing pajamas.

"We've got a fever patient, folks!" the paramedics said.

Scout moved forward. "I'll take her," she said, and moved to the gurney. "You must be Seto," she said as she got close to the teen boy and his brother, "and you're Mokuba, right?" The boys nodded. "We'll get her checked and into a room, okay? Did you two come here straight from your beds?"

"We fell asleep watching a movie last night," Seto explained. "Dr. Rhodes…?"

"She'll be okay, honey. Don't you worry. Do you want me to call her parents?"

_Her… oh, yeah…_ "No, Doctor Rhodes. I should do it. Thanks, though." As Dr. Rhodes worked over Lisa, Seto made two phone calls. First he called Roland and got him to bring changes of clothes. Then Seto thumbed the Contacts button on Lisa's cell phone, searching for a number that indicated her parents' number. "Home" seemed to have the right area code, so he hit the "Send" button.

Not quite a thousand miles away in Kirkland, Washington, Gigi Hammond was sitting up in bed with her husband of 27 years, Darren, enjoying her cup of coffee while he read the morning paper. Usually, they would've gone to church, but there had been a function at the university where Darren taught the previous evening. So the couple had decided to stay home this Sunday morning. And then the phone rang.

"Good morning, Hammond residence," Gigi greeted.

"Mrs. Hammond?" asked a young male voice on the other side of the phone.

"Yes, who is this?"

"This is Seto Kaiba, Lisa's boss and we're at Domino Children's Hospital. She's been taking care of my brother and me for the last few days and she caught our flu bug."

"Is she all right?" Gigi asked, sounding anxious.

"Geege…?" Darren whispered, also worried. As he couldn't hear the other end of the conversation, his fatherly instincts were on. If someone had in any way harmed his little girl, the six-feet, two inches tall man would be her avenger.

_She's sick, Darren, _Gigi mouthed. He nodded.

Seto continued, "She fell asleep watching a movie with us last night, and this morning when my brother and I woke up, Lisa wouldn't wake up and she threw up. Her temperature was 106.5 and we had to call 911. She had convulsions."

"Convulsions?!" Gigi yelped.

"Yeah. She'll be all right, Mrs. Hammond. The paramedics got to the mansion just before it happened, and they started working on getting her fever down. Has she ever had fevers like that before?"

"When she was little, she had pretty high fevers, but nothing like that. Is she awake?"

"Not yet, but I think Dr. Rhodes will be able to talk to you in a few minutes."

"Okay, I'd like that."

"Um… Mrs. Hammond, could I ask you something?"

"Sure, honey, and you can call me Gigi, if you'd like."

"Gigi, then. I know this is probably the worst possible time to ask you, but…I'd like to start dating your daughter, if that's all right."

Gigi smiled. "All right. It's okay with us. From what Lisa tells us, you're a nice boy."

"Thanks, Gigi." Scout exited the exam area, and Seto handed her the phone. And then Roland arrived with the boys' clothes. The boys dressed while Scout talked to Lisa's mother, and when they'd dressed, she was standing outside the men's room.

"Everything's all right, and I explained it to her parents."

"Can we see her?"

"We're moving her to a private room, and then you can stay with her. Lisa's parents said it was okay."

"Thanks," Seto said. When Scout left again, Roland asked how Lisa was and Seto informed him. "We'll be staying here for a while, Roland. Keep it really quiet, okay?"

"Okay, sir."

Y

Lisa felt as if she had been floating. She remembered falling asleep watching the movie, and could swear she'd been dreaming. Seto had been calling out to her, and Mokuba'd been worried. _What a dream,_ she thought and opened her eyes. _What the..? I'm…_

"Hi, Leese," Seto said, coming into her field of vision, "how're you feeling?" She groaned because her mouth was very, very dry. Realizing this, Seto grabbed a cup of water with a straw in it and helped Lisa to drink it.

"I feel kind of weak," she admitted. "Where are we?"

"Domino Children's. You gave Mokuba and me a real scare yesterday morning."

"Yesterday..? It's not Sunday?"

"It's Monday. You've been out probably 36 hours." She looked over at the clock to see it was 9:30.

"Oh, you're awake," Scout Rhodes said, coming into the room with her various instruments.

"Hey, Scout, guess I'm your patient," the teen girl said. "How did I end up here?"

"Well, Seto called me and said your fever was up to 106.5 and apparently, after he hung up from me, you had convulsions. The paramedics had to do standard procedure to get you stable."

"So I was...?" Lisa flushed, knowing that the paramedics had had to strip her naked and pack her in ice. And then she realized she was in a paper hospital gown.

"You were when you came in," Scout confirmed. Then Lisa looked at her new boyfriend, who had turned fire red.

"Seto? Did you...?" she asked. Scout, who had finished her quick exam of her young friend, wisely left the room.

"Lisa… uh..." He had seen her, and had liked what he'd seen.

"Be honest," she said gently.

"They did it so fast, but I did see you. And I thought you were beautiful."

"You saw my stretch marks?"

"Yeah. I thought only women who'd had babies got them."

"I've been battling with weight most of my life and I got pretty heavy for a while there. Add puberty to that, and you get really bad stretch marks."

"You've got those, and I've got what I've got. And that makes us even."

"Even?"

"Well, you _did_ see me naked."

"I was treating you!" Lisa said indignantly.

"But," he asked, moving close to her and growling seductively, "did you like what you saw?" He looked straight into her eyes with a very naughty sparkle in his eyes.

"Yes," she whispered. She couldn't lie to him. _Oh, man…_

"Where's Mokuba?" she asked softly.

"At school." To her relief, he pulled back from her. "He didn't want to leave this morning. But I made him."

"What about you?"

"I said I was at the hospital with a sick friend."

"How did you end up staying here?"

"I told the paramedics and the admissions people the truth." It took a few seconds for what he'd said to sink in. Then she looked straight at him, eyes wide.

"You told them we're..?" He nodded. "You really are serious about me," she breathed.

"Lisa, you're the first girl I've felt this way about. And yesterday when I thought something might happen to you, it really scared me," the CEO admitted. "Do you think your friends will tell?"

"No. They protect me because… well, even though I work like an adult, legally I'm still a kid." Seto smiled a little bit at that.

Y

At Domino High School, Team Yugi couldn't help but notice that Seto "Nearly Perfect Attendance" Kaiba was once again not in school. Yugi, concerned, headed to the office before heading to the lunchroom to find out if the teen multi-billionaire had called in sick again.

"No, Yugi, but he did say he had to take a friend to the hospital yesterday," answered Ms. Bloom, the secretary, who bore a passing resemblance to a grown-up Parvati Patil from _Harry Potter_.

"Did he say anything else?"

"No, but I think the homework ban is over."

"Okay. Thanks, Ms. Bloom." Yugi exited the office, and his friends were waiting for him.

"So, where's Moneybags?" Joey asked.

"Well, he's at the hospital with somebody," Yugi answered.

"Moks?" Joey asked, concerned.

"No. Ms. Bloom just said he was there with a friend."

Tristan looked a little puzzled then said, "Do you think it's that doctor?" They each exchanged glances, and agreed to head to the hospital after school.

A few hours later, school finally let out for the day, and Yugi, Teá, Tristan and Joey met at the shoe lockers. "Are we ready to go?" Yugi asked, then noticed a kid not wearing Domino High's uniform moving through the crowd of kids leaving the school. This kid seemed very familiar, and then…

"Yugi?" Mokuba Kaiba stood before the four older kids.

"Hey, Mokuba. Where's your brother?"

"He's at Domino Children's. Lisa got really sick yesterday and he didn't want to leave her in the hospital alone 'cause her mom and dad aren't here."

"Is she okay, Mokuba?" Teá asked. "Oh, we already got Kaiba's homework."

"Thanks! Well, she was really sick yesterday. She had a really high fever and she threw up pretty hard. She had convulsions after she threw up and Seto had to call 911. She didn't wake up all day and she wasn't awake this morning when I left, but I called Seto at lunch and he said she woke up at 9:30. He said she was a little weak but she was gonna be okay, and the doctor said she could go home later tonight."

"But if she's weak," Joey said.

"She's gonna go home with us. Seto said it's the least we could do for her 'cause she really took good care of us."

Mokuba led the four teens out to the limo, and as he did, dialed his cell phone. In Lisa's hospital room, Seto heard his cell phone go off. He answered. "This is Seto Kaiba."

"Hi, big brother. I got your homework."

"Are you on your way?"

"Yeah, and… don't be mad, Seto."

Seto looked at Lisa, then said, "I won't get mad. What is it?"

"I'm bringing Yugi and his friends. They wanted to see how Lisa was. They were worried about you when they saw you weren't in school."

"Just a second, Mokie. Lisa," he asked, putting his hand over the receiver, "are you okay to have visitors? It's the geek squad."

"Could you not call them that, please? For me and Mokuba?"

Seto took a deep breath, and said softly, "Okay. Mokuba, bring them. It's okay, and I'll be nice."

"Great! We'll be there in a few minutes! Bye, big brother!"

Fifteen minutes later, Mokuba arrived with his larger friends in tow. "Hi, Seto! Hi, Lisa," he said, bounding into the hospital room. "I brought you visitors." Lisa tapped a button on her hospital bed so that she could sit up. By this time, she was in a purple silk nightgown that Seto had brought in from the mansion, so she was decently covered.

"Hey, kiddo," she said as he climbed up on the bed to give her a hug.

"Is it okay if we come in?" Yugi asked, peeking around the corner.

Seto, who'd been sitting in a chair, stood up and said in his rather cold voice, "You may enter, Yugi. Bring your… friends." He turned to look at Lisa as if to say, _I'm being nice. _

_Thank you,_ she mouthed. "Hey, guys," she said tiredly.

"Hi, Lisa. How are you feeling?" Yugi asked, coming in followed by his three buddies. They all had the look of people who were coming in to visit a terminally ill patient that they knew in passing.

"Guys," she said, getting a serious yet slightly comical look on her face, "I'm not dying. Get those death looks off your faces." The four teens looked at each other and started cracking up.

"Sorry, Leese," Joey said. "The way Moks told it, you were practically at death's door yesterday."

"Did he? Well, the reports of my possible demise were somewhat exaggerated because somebody was there to help me," she smiled wryly. "So how was school for you guys?"

The teens and Mokuba talked for a bit (Seto joined in the conversation a bit, but remained silent most of the time) until about five PM. "Will you be back in school tomorrow, Kaiba?" Yugi asked.

"No. I can't leave Lisa alone yet. And I won't trust anyone else with the job of caring for her." Yugi hadn't been looking at Seto, but now he and the other three teenagers looked at the teen multibillionaire, surprised at what he'd just said. But when Yugi looked up, Seto Kaiba looked his usual impassive self.

_Yami? _

_Yes, Yugi? _

_Are you feeling from Kaiba what I'm feeling from Kaiba?_

Yami thought a minute. _If you're referring to how he's acting with her, you're not the only one who's confused. _

_Yami, it's kind of weird that he's so insistent that he takes care of her. _

_Yeah, aibou. Tell me about it._

"Guys," Yugi asked as he and his friends left the hospital, "does anything seem funny about Kaiba and Lisa?"

"Maybe. He did go over an hour without calling us geeks or the wiener patrol," Tristan pointed out.

"You guys don't think..?" Teá asked.

"But this is Seto Kaiba." Joey looked a little puzzled and then asked, "You think there's something goin' on with them? Wouldn't Mokuba've said somethin'?" The other three thought for a short moment.

"Maybe it's nothing or they're just friends," Tristan said.

"Guess we'll see," Yugi said.

Meanwhile, back in the hospital room, Lisa said softly, "They suspect something."

"Could you tell that?" Seto asked, now looking a little bit alarmed.

"They're not sure," she answered, "but I could tell that they thought it was possible. Is it because you were, at the very least, civil? Or that you've provided them rides?"

Seto thought a second, and nodded. "I've been… well…."

"I've seen you act cold, but you think you acted like a jerk."

"I did. You wouldn't like me very much if…."

"I knew what I already know?" His eyes widened at that.

Y

At eight PM, Lisa was discharged from Domino Children's Hospital. "Lisa," Seto asked as the three were driven away in the limo, "are you okay with me taking care of you? I mean, I'll, um, have to help you with everything."

"I trust you."

"Hey, Lisa?"

"Yeah, Mokuba?"

"Could we watch a movie when we get home?"

"Okay. Why don't we watch _Castle in the Sky?_"

_A rather abrupt ending, but my initial draft was quite a bit different. This and the last chapter were initially a single chapter. However, in my typing, it has morphed into a three-chapter section. So now Seto has had a flash of the past, and it differs from what Lisa's seen. He knows she has powers and accepts it… I think he accepts more than we know; his attitude, it seems to me, is just contrariness for contrariness's sake._

_Thanks again to all of you who are reading and reviewing! To those of you who are reading and haven't reviewed, I'd love to hear from you. If you have questions, I'll be glad to answer. I'll even be glad to hear from you if you just want to talk! Thanks! Read and review, folks!_


	12. Nursing Care

Chapter IX: Nursing Care

_Hello again, classic Yu-Gi-Oh fans! Well, I'm very happy at the reviews I've been receiving! Thanks again to Glimerofhope and welcome to invader101! I'm glad you're enjoying my story! As for everyone else who's reading and enjoying, I'd love to hear from you, too! _

_Last time on "The Jedi League of Duelists," Lisa Angela Hammond was sent to the hospital, treated and released to Seto Kaiba. She's still weak, so he has to take care of her. So what happens now that they're alone together? Read to find out… I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, Star Wars, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine or anything else except this story and my own characters._

_**Author's notes, over five years later:**__ Some minor tweaks, but nothing that damages the plot._

"I need to get you some dinner, Lisa," Seto Kaiba said as the limo pulled up to the Kaiba mansion's front door. She was still exhausted from the flu and fever, as well as dreadfully groggy.

"I'm not very hungry," she said softly.

"Scout said you have to eat… Lisa?"

"Yeah?"

"Why do you call her Scout?" Seto was really curious on this point, and Lisa lifted her head to notice that both the Kaiba brothers were looking at her curiously.

"Well, her given name is Jean Louise, and that's the given name of the little girl in _To Kill a Mockingbird._ And when I started calling her that, she thought it was great because her mom was a big fan of that book. So it stuck."

"Is Scout a big fan of that book?" Mokuba wanted to know.

"Yeah, she named her son Atticus Lee and her daughter Alexis Harper."

Roland came around and opened the limo door. Mokuba hopped out first and then Seto got out and helped Lisa out of the limo. She was very weak, so the teen multibillionaire carried her up to her room and to her bed. "I'll bring you a little soup, okay?"

"Okay," she answered weakly. She was so sleepy… _I'll just close my eyes for a minute._ The next thing she knew, she was being gently shaken awake.

"C'mon, Lisa, I know you're tired but you've got to eat. You've just got to eat a little bit," Seto was saying. She opened her eyes.

"Do I have to?"

"Yeah." He gently helped her into a sitting position, laid a bed tray over her lap and set a cup of soup on the tray. "It's just some chicken soup. Scout said it's pretty bland."

"Thanks, honey."

Seto smiled at that. "First time you've called me that."

Lisa blushed. "Is… that… okay?"

"Yeah, it's fine. Just remember not to call me that at the office yet."

"What about…?"

"Roland? He's glad about you being here and he won't tell unless I give him leave to."

"Where's Mokuba?"

"He's in bed. You slept for a little while."

"What time is it?"

"It's 9:30. C'mon, Leese. You need to eat." He spooned up some soup, blew on it and fed it to her. "Good?" he asked. She nodded and he fed her more. After she'd finished the cup of soup, he asked, "Do you need anything else?" She shook her head. "I'll take this to the kitchen and be right back."

Seto Kaiba exited the bedroom, tray and soup cup in hand. Roland came out of Mokuba's darkened bedroom where he'd been standing watch. "How's Lisa?" Roland asked.

"She seems better. She finished the soup. I'm going to get a chair and stay in her room tonight just in case she needs me."

"You're really interested in her, aren't you?" Roland observed as they walked to the kitchen.

"She… I don't know what all it is, but I think she's incredible. And how many of those ditzy fan girls would like Mokuba as well as Lisa does?"

"Not many. Are you going to school tomorrow, sir?"

"No. I said I'd stay here with Lisa until she's better and I meant it. You should go with my brother tomorrow. Bryce can work the perimeter here." Roland nodded.

"Will there be anything more this evening, Mr. Kaiba?"

"No, you can go. Thanks, Roland."

"No problem, sir." Roland headed home for the evening, pleased at the turn of events for his employer. Meanwhile, Seto took the dishes and tray into the kitchen and put the dishes in the dishwasher and the tray where he'd found it. Then he headed back upstairs to his bedroom where he started to change into his nightclothes.

There was a mirror in the huge closet and Seto, for the first time in quite a while, stopped and looked at himself while clad only in his boxers. _Maybe it's because I'm a guy. _While Seto Kaiba fan girls would've drooled over what they would've seen at this moment, Seto himself was critical. _Yeah, I have muscles and washboard abs, but look at those scars. _And besides, he knew that he was scarred internally from Gozaburo had done to him. _But what does Lisa see?_ With her abilities, he wondered. But she had explained she wouldn't look in any part of his mind he didn't broadcast or willingly share with her. He got his dark blue silk pajamas on and headed back to Lisa's bedroom.

"Lisa, do you need anything—?" he asked, then noticed she'd fallen asleep. "Good night, Leese," he whispered, and kissed her cheek. He pulled up a comfy chair next to her bed, covered himself with a blanket, and fell asleep.

Y

"Seto? Seto, it's seven. Aren't you going to school, big brother?" Seto awoke to Mokuba whispering to him.

"Mokuba, I'm not going today, remember?"

"Oh, yeah, sorry, bro." Mokuba got a pouty look on his face.

"Mokie," Seto said softly, "you missed a week of school. I don't want you missing more."

"But…"

"I can afford to miss school. You can't. You go today, all right?" Mokuba thought he might drag out what Seto commonly referred to as the "Puppy Eyes of Death," but the little boy knew his brother would resist this time. However, there was something in Seto's eyes that Mokuba hadn't seen in some time… sympathy. "She'll be okay," the older boy said softly, "so don't worry."

"Okay," Mokuba said, and headed to his room and got dressed for school. He grabbed a quick breakfast, went back upstairs, brushed his teeth and then said goodbye to his brother.

After Mokuba left for the school day, Seto went, quickly got his shower, got dressed, called Domino High and the office, and then grabbed his laptop. By 8:45, he had all of his work completed. Lisa woke up about five minutes later. A maid had brought in breakfast, so the young man was ready when his girlfriend awoke.

"Good morning, Lisa."

"Good morning, Seto."

"How are you feeling?" he asked, but noticing she was definitely on the mend. Her color was much better and her eyes looked more cheerful.

"I'm feeling better. I don't feel like I got in a fight or something."

"Good. I had a maid bring in breakfast. Is this okay?" Seto asked, holding up a tray of pastries and toast.

"Yeah. Hey, do you mind if I turn on _Live with Regis and Kelly?_" Seto looked a little bit puzzled.

"I've never watched it. Go ahead. Who's on the show?"

"Oh, that guy who hosted _Who Wants to be a Millionaire_ and that girl who played Hailey on _All My Children._"

"_All My Children?_"

"My mom watches them both."

"Oh, okay."

At nine, the two settled in to watch the show. Lisa ate her breakfast and Seto found himself really enjoying the New York talk show. He actually found himself laughing at the jokes and liking the music. "I didn't think I'd enjoy this so much," he said out loud when he'd meant only to think it.

"What, you expected to be bored?" Lisa teased.

"Oops," he said softly.

"It's okay," she said, laughing a little, "I think my dad likes it but doesn't get into it as much as my mom does."

"Leese, after this is over, would you like a bath?"

"That'd be nice."

So, toward the end of the show, Seto went into Lisa's bathroom and started filling the bathtub. He also pressed a button in the bathroom to reveal a flat-screen TV and turned it on. _I'll ask what show she'd like to watch when she's ready._ Then the show they had been watching together was over, and Seto asked if Lisa was ready for her bath. She nodded, tried to get up, then sank back onto the bed.

"Are you okay?"

"Seto, I think I need some help."

"Okay. You're still weak. I should've thought of that. Are… you okay with me staying in the bathroom with you?" She nodded and held up her arms so he could carry her into the bathroom.

"Oh, there's a TV in here!" she said happily as he sat her down on the edge of the tub.

"Yeah. What would you like to watch, Leese?"

"Umm… _The Price is Right._"

"Done." She undressed, and he helped her get into the tub. She scrubbed herself off, shampooed her hair and then really got into the TV show.

Seto, despite himself, got a really good look at Lisa's body while she was yelling at a student from Gonzaga University ("The corn chips cost $1.99, you moron!"). Lisa wasn't a goddess by any means, but Seto James Kaiba preferred her to the pictures of so-called "ideal women," other female duelists, and of course the mindless fan girls. As mentioned before, Lisa had some physical flaws, but what the young man found attractive outweighed those flaws. _She's a little overweight, but she has curves. She's got a pretty face, nice arms and legs, and her hair's pretty, too. And her eyes are beautiful._ He found himself blown away by her eyes.

Lisa smiled a little bit, knowing that her boyfriend was looking at her. _He's actually looking at me and liking what he sees. _Lisa was very conscious of her body flaws, as so many teenage girls are, and was amazed that Seto liked what he saw. She turned to look at him and he tried to act like he hadn't been looking, but she laid her hand on his. "Don't act like you weren't looking, honey."

"I…."

"Seto, you were looking. I wouldn't consider you normal if you weren't looking. And you like what you see…."

"Is it that obvious?" His cheeks were lightly streaked with pink, and she liked that.

"Even without sensing your surface emotions, I can tell. You're blushing."

"Oh. Hey, is there anything you'd like to watch once you're out of the tub? I've got a lot of DVDs of TV shows."

"Tell me what you've got."

After Lisa was out of the tub, Seto helped her dry off and get into some new pajamas. "Oh, I should probably call my parents before we watch something."

"Okay." He handed her a telephone and she dialed her home number.

"Hi, Mom… Yeah, I'm feeling better. Seto's taking good care of me… Yeah… Yeah… Yeah… Mom, I was weak and needed help… No, we haven't… Mom, he's a good boy. He hasn't pressed me for anything… He knows Mokuba's affected if something didn't work out… Yeah… Oh, okay. Seto? Mom would like to talk to you."

He took the phone from her. "Hi, Gigi."

"Good morning, Seto, honey. How's Lisa doing?"

"Lots better. She was a little woozy earlier, so I had to help her get a bath." He could practically see Gigi's expression changing from friendly to guarded.

"Oh, really?"

"I wouldn't have if she didn't need the help." Then he thought he could see Gigi smiling again.

"I know that, Seto. I trust you and I trust my daughter. She's a big girl now."

"Yeah. We're going to watch some movies or TV shows so she relaxes and gets better."

"Good. She doesn't relax enough, and when she's sick, she tries to do too much and sets herself back at least a day."

"No wonder she was so firm with me."

The mother and the young man laughed over that, and Gigi said, "Will you be okay?"

"Yeah, Gigi, I'll be okay. Thanks to Lisa, I'm better."

"All right, sweetie. I'll let you go for now. Call me later if you need to talk, okay?"

"Got it. Bye, Gigi."

"Bye, Seto." Seto hung up the phone.

"What did your mom think we were doing?" he asked curiously.

"Oh, nothing. She trusts me, but she likes getting a rise out of me. And you're the first guy who's really paid me attention."

"I find that very hard to believe, babe. You're sweet, funny and…"

"And?"

"Brilliant and good with kids."

"Good with Mokuba?"

"Yeah. Any other girls my age… well, they'd like him, maybe, but they'd resent him because my attention's not wholly on them."

"He's part of your life, Seto. Without him, I think you might be different."

"You're different, Lisa. You really like kids."

"Yeah."

"So, what do you want to watch?" He mentioned several different DVD sets of shows that he had, and Lisa seemed uninterested. But then he came to another… "How about _Star Trek: Deep Space Nine?_ I know it's not as happy as _TNG_, but…"

And then he noticed that she was smiling. "You like _Deep Space Nine_ too?"

"Yeah, I do. I think it's a lot deeper than _TNG_, in some ways."

"Definitely. So do you have all seven seasons?"

"Yeah. What do you want to start with?"

"How about the first episode?"

"Okay. I'll be right back." He headed downstairs to the media room where he had a massive collection of DVDs. He grabbed the first season of _Deep Space Nine_, and headed back up to the bedroom and turned on the show.

Seto sat on top of Lisa's blankets and covered himself with a light blanket. It was rather nice to sit with someone and watch a favorite show, he mused.

Meanwhile, Lisa found herself comparing the Kaiba brothers with things in the first episode of _Deep Space Nine._ In the first episode of the show, the station commander had to make contact with an alien race while wrestling with his inner demons, having lost his wife in a horrible space battle about three years previously. He had a son that he was raising alone, but, like Seto was with Mokuba, the station commander had emotionally shut down for the most part. The station commander confronted what had happened when he met the alien race. They analyzed his soul and helped him to realize that he had emotionally been locked in the moment that he lost his beloved. Lisa wondered, as she sensed the young man she was definitely falling in love with, what moment that the aliens would say to Seto, "You exist here." She snuggled a little bit closer to her beloved, and began to drift off to sleep.

Seto James Kaiba, meanwhile, looked at his girlfriend drifting off to sleep beside him, and reflected on the events of the past few days…

_She's really relaxing. Lisa's still pretty weak, and she's still a little bit warm. I can't believe how much I've let my guard down with her. _He_would've called what I'm feeling for Lisa weakness, but I won't take anything that _he_said about relationships seriously and Mokuba. I don't want_his_warped sense of what relationships should be._

_Lisa's honest with me, and I think she really likes me for me. I don't think she would've told me about her powers if she didn't really like me and trust me. I… think I'm actually in love with her. I wonder if she feels the same way about me. But I can't bring myself to tell her yet. I wonder what she knows about me?_

"Lisa?" Seto queried, shaking himself out of his reverie.

"Hmm?" She was mostly asleep, but he asked anyway.

"What do you know about Duel Monsters and me?"

"You have three Blue Eyes White Dragons," she said sleepily.

"Anything else?"

"Yugi Muto beat you in a duel, and you beat him at Duelist Kingdom, but then he saved you."

"Okay." Had she been anyone else, Seto might've wondered where she got her information on the duel with Yugi and the aftermath, but because she was Lisa, he wouldn't question what she said.

Later in the day, Mokuba came home from school and soccer practice. He had a place on one of Domino's youth teams, and was pretty good. He'd missed last week's practice due to Duelist Kingdom and being sick, so he'd been glad to get back to his team. So he came home to his brother and brother's girlfriend dressed in his bright blue and white soccer uniform, shin guards covered with white socks and cleats. "Hi, big brother! Hi, Lisa! How are you feeling?"

"Much better, sweetie," Lisa answered as the little boy climbed up on the big bed and gave her and his brother a hug. "How hard did you play?"

"Real hard, Lisa! I got to be goalie today at practice. I usually play center-forward, though."

"Oh. So you get to score some, huh?"

"Yeah, and it's great!"

"You know about soccer, Leese?" Seto asked.

"Oh, yeah. My brother plays for his college team. He's been playing since first grade."

The three of them watched an episode of _Star Trek: The Next Generation_ together that evening after Mokuba finished his homework and while the three ate dinner together. Then it was time for Mokuba to go to bed. "Good night, Lisa."

"Good night, sweetie," she said, giving him a hug and kiss. He headed off to bed, Seto taking him.

"Hey, big brother, could I ask you something?" Mokuba asked as Seto tucked him into bed.

"Yeah, Mokie?"

"Do you like Lisa?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"I mean do you just like her or do you like her like her?" Seto suddenly looked nervous (as nervous as the older boy looked and Mokuba could tell).

"Why do you ask?"

"You're happier when she's around."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. So?"

"Okay, I like her like her. What?!" Mokuba was smiling.

"I'm glad, 'cause I wanted to ask you something else."

"Yeah?"

"Do you think Lisa could live with us?" The teen CEO's eyes widened in shock.

"Mokuba!"

"It makes sense. We could have a doctor that lives with us, and you guys can get to know each other better." The way Mokuba talked about a girl who was not related to them moving in with them made Seto James Kaiba wonder just what little Mokuba Richard Kaiba actually knew about what it meant when a girl lived with you when you weren't married.

"Mokuba, what do you know about people living together?"

"Well, I know that you don't have to sleep in the same room together if you don't want to. We could make it work, and besides, I bet her rent's expensive."

"Um… what else do you know?"

"Seto, I'm nine years old," Mokuba answered, looking very serious. "There's not much I don't know. In my class, one of the girls has a mom who lives with her boyfriend and her dad lives with a girlfriend."

"Mokuba, you're talking about adults. I. Am. Almost. Sixteen. Aren't I a little young?"

"Aren't you a little young to be a CEO of a multinational corporation and to be raising your nine-year-old brother?" the boy countered softly.

Seto sighed. "All right already. I do like having Lisa here, and I'll ask her if she'd like to move in here. But she has parents who might tell her this is a bad idea." _And I wouldn't blame them,_ he thought. _I just hope her dad won't come down and try to kill me for even suggesting it._ He hugged Mokuba, said good night, and headed to Lisa's room.

"Hey, Leese," he said as he walked back into the room.

"Hi. What's going on, Seto?" she asked, sensing his emotional surface.

"Mokuba," he said, sitting on the edge of her bed, "had an idea. He was wondering if you'd like to stay here."

"For how long?" She didn't understand.

"Um… Er…" He was turning a shade of light pink, and then she realized…

"He wants me to live here?"

Seto answered, with a strange catch in his voice, "Yes. He thought having a doctor living with us would be good and besides…" He trailed off.

"Besides, what?"

"We like having you here. _I _like having you here. I'm not asking you to be in a compromising position where… you know…" He was blushing furiously now (which would be a slight blush in anyone else) and that along with what the teen girl was sensing told Lisa Seto was very nervous.

"Why don't I sleep on it, and tell you what I think in the morning?"

"Would your parents be okay with it?"

"I think I could convince them. After all, Dad says I'm fifteen going on thirty."

"Okay. Good night, babe."

"Good night, honey." Seto headed to his bedroom while Lisa snuggled down in her bed to contemplate her next move.

_Oh my… So the boys want the Jedi girl to live with them. Will it happen? You'll just have to find out. The next chapter is where the action really picks up. I hope you all have been reading and paying attention. There are a lot of things in these early chapters that will figure later. I'm going to update at least twice more today, because I had to break up at least one chapter and I don't like leaving cliffhangers if I can help it. Something bad is about to happen, and Mokuba fans, please don't hate me. I, like Lisa, think he's adorable. But something bad is about to happen. Please read and review._


	13. Libera Me Domine Chap 10 Pt I

Chapter X Part I: Libera Me Domine/ Free Me, Lord

_When last we left the story, Seto had taken care of Lisa for two days while she was down with a major flu bug. Mokuba suggested that Lisa move into the Kaiba mansion, knowing precisely what living together means, much to his big brother's horror. Lisa told Seto she would sleep on it, and let him know what she decided. This is also a long (okay, longer than the others) chapter because I didn't have the heart to separate it. As usual, I own nothing but the plot, Lisa and any other non-established characters. _

_**Warning for Mokuba fans: Some bad things will happen to our raven-haired cutie pie! I'm sorry. I love him, too…**_

_**Author's notes, over five years later: **__I changed page breaks and reworked the story to show the flashbacks a bit differently. I do hope this doesn't mess up the story's overall clarity._

It had been two weeks since the Kaiba Corp board of directors had tried and failed in their attempt to murder their boss and his little brother, and a week and a half since the last board member, Albert Lechtor, had died after not regaining consciousness. Seto had returned to school a week after being sick and then three days after taking care of his doctor, who caught the flu bug while caring for him and his brother.

"Welcome back, barf boy," shouted a green-haired ninth grader to the teen CEO. "You gonna do that again? Should I bring a poncho to class? Should I… _**eee**_!" The exclamation was due to the fact that the teaser had suddenly received an atomic wedgie.

"Mess with him, you mess with us, got it, Farnsworth?" Joey Wheeler asked with a wicked grin. Farnsworth could only nod and then head to the school infirmary to get his pants readjusted.

"Joey, he's not going to appreciate it," Tristan commented.

"Oh, well. Farnsworth's a jerk, anyway, Tris." Seto had actually noticed the help and appreciated it, but as usual, said nothing.

On Tuesday, two weeks after Mokuba had gotten the flu, Yugi David Muto found himself the victim of a plot. Fortunately, this one didn't involve world domination, but it did involve someone who thought he'd gotten his title of King of Games unscrupulously. Duke Rupert Devlin, a new schoolmate, had been convinced that Yugi had cheated in order to beat one Maximillian Pegasus at Duelist Kingdom and had set up an elaborate trap to destroy the amethyst-eyed teen boy. Duke had made the mistake of using Joey Wheeler as bait for the trap, humiliating the blonde boy and then making him wear a dog suit. The other boy had known full well that Yugi would not leave his friend to be humiliated in such a fashion, and had figured the small teen would be easily beatable at a game he had never played… Duke's game, Dungeon Dice Monsters.

About an hour had passed since Duke and Yugi had concluded their duel, and Yugi had reigned victorious, proving he was rightfully the King of Games. Duke, a boy with jet black hair pulled into a ponytail and green eyes Harry Potter would envy, though chagrined at what he'd done to Yugi and Joey, was ecstatic. Industrial Illusions, despite its CEO having gone Missing In Action (MIA), had sent Duke a contract to take his game to the entire world.

"_**I still can't believe it!**_" Duke exclaimed for what seemed like the umpteenth time.

_Yugi,_ Yami asked, _have I ever crowed like this? _

_No, Yami,_ Yugi answered, _you haven't that I know of. _

_Good, aibou, _the spirit-buddy sent back. Teá had her hand over her mouth, trying not to laugh. Tristan, meanwhile, rolled his eyes. Solomon Muto shook his head and smiled, remembering his youth and what a young hotshot he'd been when he was fifteen. Joey Wheeler, however, made a wisecrack.

"Yell a little louder, why don't you, Duke? I don't think New Mexico heard ya yet!" Everyone, seen and unseen, laughed.

"Guys, let's turn on the TV. The news is on in a couple of minutes," Yugi said, turning the TV on to the local ABC affiliate, DMNO Channel 4.

"Oh, Yugi, I hate _Oprah,_" Tristan groaned.

"The news'll be on in a minute, Tristan."

And then… "This is breaking news from the DMNO 4 newsroom," came the announcer's voice. A young female reporter with strawberry blonde hair and very dark eyes was at the newsroom desk with a look of concern on her face.

"Good afternoon. This is Athena Sasaki and we've just received word that Mokuba Kaiba, brother of Kaiba Corporation mogul Seto Kaiba, has been kidnapped at gunpoint." The living room went silent. "The assailant," Sasaki reported, "has been identified as former Kaiba Corporation employee Kemo Jensen, who was a bodyguard for the two brothers before joining the former board of directors in a hostile takeover attempt partnering with Industrial Illusions president Maximillian Pegasus."

Yugi moaned softly. Teá gasped in horror while Duke and Tristan could only sit shocked in silence. Solomon Muto moved to console his grandson, and the newscaster continued to talk about the situation. Joey's fists clenched.

"How can anybody do that to a little kid?! If Kemo's tryin' to make a point to Kaiba, he should go after Moneybags himself, not his little brother!" Joey's brown eyes flashed with barely controlled rage. He might consider Kaiba an arrogant rich boy who didn't seem to care about things, but the two boys had something in common as big brothers. _He's goin' through Hell right now,_ Joey thought. _If that was Serenity, I'd be goin' crazy._ "Kemo's a… well, I can't say it 'cause Teá and Gramps are here," he said out loud.

The scene on the TV changed from the TV newsroom to a four-story building not far from Muto Games. "We're taking you live to our DMNO 4 news copter, where we are seeing the hostage and his captor high atop a four-story building. Jensen appears to have a gun to the boy's head." Yugi looked up from hugging his grandfather to see Joey's angry face and the news visuals.

_Yugi,_ Yami sent, _is it possible that Kemo feels he has nothing to lose by taking Mokuba?_

Yugi thought a minute, and answered, _I don't know, Yami. Maybe he's just out to hurt Kai…_ Yugi stopped mid-thought as realization hit him like a ton of bricks. "Oh, no! Kemo's going to kill Mokuba!" Yugi shouted aloud. The five teens raced out of the game shop and raced toward the scene.

Mai Valentine, home after her photo shoot, had turned on the news to see exactly what her friends were seeing. She heard the helicopter flying overhead and ran down the hall of her apartment building to the elevator. She got to ground level and headed out the front door of the building just in time to see Yugi and his crew coming toward her. "Guys!"

"We know, Mai!" Joey shouted. "We're headin' that way! C'mon!" Mai ran alongside her friends to the scene.

"What happened?"

"We probably know as much as you do," Yugi said.

Earlier, Kemo Jensen had been out of work for nearly two weeks, and yet it felt like an eternity. He hadn't been a successful traitor, and Seto Kaiba wasn't very forgiving when it came to betrayal. "You were supposed to protect my brother and me, Kemo, and you broke the oath to do that. Get out of Kaiba Corp," the teen had said with the fires of 100 volcanoes burning in his eyes. Those five idiot board members had left Kemo out to dry, as had Pegasus. The latter was missing presently, so the possibility of Kemo working at Industrial Illusions was very slim. And now, unemployed, Kemo knew exactly who to blame for his current misfortunes….

_Seto James Kaiba… That snot-nosed punk… He destroyed my life…_ And so Kemo hatched a plan. He would destroy the teen CEO's life in a somewhat more painful way than his life had been destroyed. _If I'm lucky,_ he mused, _the police snipers will be good shots…_ And so, on the Tuesday Yugi Muto dueled Duke Devlin, Kemo set his plan in motion. He knew Mokuba's movements by heart, so it would be easy to nab the small boy. At 3:00 PM, the guard detail changed at Kaiba Corp, leaving a window of opportunity for the former guard to sneak into the building and find a place to lay in wait. He rode the elevator up to Seto Kaiba's office suite floor, found a place where he wouldn't be seen, and waited for Mokuba to return from school and his Tuesday afternoon soccer practice at 4:45 PM.

At 4:40 PM, Seto Kaiba allowed himself the rare luxury of a smile as he looked at the clock. It was nearly time for Mokuba to bound through the office door, looking like a tornado had blown over him and smelling like little boys do when they've exerted themselves in the pursuit of athleticism. Shortly after Mokuba arrived, Lisa would probably arrive from work. Though she had moved in with the two boys, work had thus far prevented her from joining them for their afternoon snack. Today, however, Lisa had called Seto at the office.

Y

"Hi, honey," Lisa greeted at 3:45 PM.

"Hey, babe," Seto returned, "what's up?"

"I might be able to join you this afternoon for snack time," Lisa said. "It's really slowed down today, and most of my patients were discharged, so I think I'll be able to be off in a few minutes."

"That's great! Should I send the limo?"

"No, honey, I think I need to walk. Seto, I haven't been getting enough exercise lately."

The teen boy adopted a hurt expression and voice. "Our make-out sessions haven't been enough? Do we need to ramp it up a bit?"

"_**Seto**_!" she shouted, laughing. "I think your chef's cooking has been a little too good. I just haven't gotten enough exercise. I think I can be there a little after five. Will that be okay?"

"Yeah, that'd be great," he answered, "and I'll have a little surprise for you when you get here."

"What's the surprise?"

"If I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise, would it? Just trust me, okay?"

"Okay, honey. I'll see you later."

"Bye."

Y

Seto smiled, remembering. Things were very different today. Besides the fact that Lisa was coming for snack time, there were two other things that were different. First, Seto had gotten chocolate milk and pieces of chocolate raspberry cake from Domino's most celebrated Hopperman's Bakery, which was unusual because Seto almost never allowed Mokuba to have junk food. Secondly, instead of getting take-out or having dinner at the mansion, Seto was going to surprise Lisa with dinner at an actual restaurant. _I'm tired of us having to sneak around, and I want the world and her to know that I love her. The sneaking around is a turn-on, but I think us being out in the open will be even better._ Seto looked at the clock. It was 4:48. _Mokuba should just be getting here. _And then Seto got a strange feeling that something was wrong… the same feeling that he'd gotten the day his father died…

"_**Big brother! Help me, Seto**_!" Mokuba's scream came from right outside the office door. Seto was up from his desk and out of the office in a heartbeat. His heart nearly stopped when he saw Mokuba kicking and thrashing in Kemo's iron grip.

"_**Kemo! Let my brother go, you snake**_!" Kemo grinned wickedly as he held a gun to the little boy's head.

"Oh, I'll let him go when I'm good and ready. I wouldn't have your guards attempt to stop me if I were you, kid." Mokuba's eyes were wide with unadulterated terror, and they teared up as Kemo held him like a shield and walked into the stairwell. Seto could only watch as the large man dragged his very life from the building.

Y

Mokuba Kaiba climbed into the limousine from his soccer practice at 4:35. He was excited by how well he had actually managed to do today. He couldn't wait to tell his brother and Lisa how he'd done. His thoughts drifted.

Y

_Seto is so up to something. He acted different this morning, almost… happy. What is up with my moody big brother lately? It's like he's becoming a different person. He's either been kidnapped by aliens, that Brain Control card is being used on him, or… Lisa's a really good influence. I mean, Seto's been changing since he and Yugi dueled, but he's gotten even better since we met Lisa and especially since she moved in with us last week. He's almost smiling, but I guess that's better than not smiling at all. Someday, maybe he'll smile fully…_

_I haven't seen Seto like this since… well, he's been moody most of my life, but he smiled before Gozaburo adopted us. After we went to live with __him__, Seto shut down, and I know why. I told Lisa, sort of, but I couldn't tell her who'd hurt Seto so bad that it left bad marks. I know that Gozaburo did some very bad things to Seto, but I've never told Seto how much I know. He couldn't hide his bloody back from me, but I think he hid something else, but I'm not sure. But I'm sure of one thing; Seto had to do something to stop Gozaburo from hurting us._

_I remember the day Gozaburo died. He was really, really mad at Seto because Seto had figured out how to take Kaiba Corp away from Gozaburo so he'd have to do what we said. Gozaburo almost won, but I gave my stocks to Seto so he could have full control of the company. Gozaburo got really mad and the Big Five left the office and Seto told me to run. I did, and then a few minutes later, I heard glass break. Seto said later that Gozaburo jumped 'cause he went crazy, but sometimes I wonder if Seto had to kill him. Gozaburo said Seto would have to go back to the orphanage, but he didn't say I would. Knowing Gozaburo, he would've killed Seto, then started to… train me. What I know is that our stepdad was beyond evil, and he did very bad things to my brother._

_Seto probably thinks that I don't know things, and that's what I'm gonna let him keep thinking. It's easier that way and I don't want him to worry about me. I definitely don't want him to know…I know why our real dad killed himself. Our daddy couldn't stand to see me because I killed our mom. I knew Mommy died when I was born, but what I didn't know until recently that Daddy killed himself because of me. I knew Daddy died, but I didn't really know he killed himself because of me._

_I found Daddy's suicide note one afternoon when Seto was working. I dug through his stuff like any nosy little brother would do and found a little white envelope that was open and had something in it. So I pulled out the letter and read it. I felt sick after reading it and was kind of quiet when Seto came home, but I don't think he noticed because he had to keep working. I didn't ask to be born, and I didn't mean to kill Mommy. If I could change what happened somehow, I would so Seto'd still be happy and not have had to kill to defend us both._

_I had a math test today and, as usual, got a perfect score. That doesn't endear me to my fellow fourth graders, but I want Seto to be proud of me. I sometimes wonder if other kids would stop beating me up if I deliberately failed a test, but then if I did, Seto would be sad. And so would Lisa. It's different now that she's living with us. She works but when she's home, she's not holed up in her office. The three of us have dinner together, and if Seto has to work, Lisa helps me with my homework and then we watch TV. Then Seto comes out of his office and they both get me to bed. I know they aren't doing anything as in you-know-what, and I think it's because Lisa doesn't want them to yet and because they both want to set a good example for me. All I can say is I'm glad Seto asked Lisa to start dating him and that he asked her to live with us._

_Maybe I'll talk to my big brother about school today. I wonder what's on the menu for our snack today. I wish Lisa could join us for our snacks, but her work schedule hasn't let her do it. I bet Lisa could convince Seto to let us have potato chips and soda once in a while instead of boring veggies and healthy stuff to drink. I'm finally at the office and still in my soccer uniform, so I say goodbye to the driver._

"Bye, Darlene! See you later!" _I head to the elevator to go to my brother's office. I love riding the elevator to Seto's office on a day like today because you can see all the way to the ocean! I wonder what Seto has planned for today. Probably some lame meeting or something. The elevator door opens and I go into the corridor. I smell… cake?! Nobody has birthday parties up here, so did Seto..? I'm running toward Seto's office and I'm almost to the door._

_Hey, what the..?! I'm being grabbed by somebody a lot bigger than me and bulkier than Seto! I know who this is when he says,_ "Hi, kid…" _It's Kemo. He tried to kill Seto before, and I know I've got to get away from him. I try to kick him in the crotch by kicking up with my legs, but like the last time he nabbed me, he's holding me so I can't do it, and he might be wearing a cup. So I bite his hand, and yell._

"_**Big brother! Help me, Seto!"**_

"You're gonna regret that, kid," _Kemo says and puts something really cold and metal to my head, and I'm pretty sure it's a gun._

_Seto comes running out of his office like a bat out of… Heck. Seto yells for Kemo to let me go, and how Kemo responds tells me one very clear thing. He's going to kill me and I'm never going to see my brother or Lisa again. I know I look scared and I'm starting to cry because I can't help it. My last view of Seto is of him looking as scared as I feel. Then Kemo drags me down the stairs and I kick him, but it doesn't seem to make a difference._

Y

Kemo felt the kick to his side, but it didn't hurt him. However, it did give him an excuse to inflict pain on the pathetic little brat he'd just kidnapped. "Well, kid," he said as they arrived at the corner of a brick building not too far from Kaiba Corp, "remember how I said you'd regret what you did back there?" He turned the small boy around to face him. Mokuba wouldn't give this creature the satisfaction of responding, opting instead for a cold stare like his brother would do. Kemo grinned like a demon. "Now you get payback." He grabbed Mokuba by his wrists, and swung the little boy like a sack of potatoes. Mokuba's lower legs hit the corner of the building and the man heard the satisfying, sickening sound of bones breaking.

Mokuba felt pain like searing flames through his legs that nearly drove him into unconsciousness, but he willed himself to remain conscious. _I've gotta be brave like Seto,_ the little boy thought.

Kemo grinned coldly at his captive. "That hurt, didn't it, you little nothing?" Mokuba's face was pale and he was going into shock. "Well," the demon continued, "you're going to be feeling pain for only a little longer. I'm gonna kill you, and you're gonna die in such a way that all your brother's ever going to see awake or asleep is your bloody, battered and broken little _**corpse**_!"

Y

At 5:10 PM, Lisa was nearly to Kaiba Corp. She had gotten off work shortly after four and hoped that Mokuba wasn't getting too hungry waiting for his snack. When she had called earlier, Seto was thrilled Lisa would be able to join them. And he'd mentioned something about a surprise and Lisa had chosen not to probe his mind. _I'll find out, and knowing Seto, it's something nice._ She had gotten lost in the sounds of the city and had left her mental shields up so she could relax and reflect.

Seto hadn't been able to say three little words to her yet, but Lisa knew he loved her. She loved him, and they both loved Mokuba. Her mom and dad, surprisingly, had been okay with Lisa moving in with the boys. Seto had offered to fly Darren and Gigi Hammond down to Domino so that they could see exactly where and how Lisa was going to live with the CEO and his brother, but Darren and Gigi had both said it wasn't necessary and that they trusted their daughter.

Lisa looked at her watch as she approached the Kaiba Corp main building. She slowly lowered her shields to sense her beloved and his brother. _Oh, no_, she thought, horrified, and broke into a run. She thought she'd heard police sirens earlier, but hadn't paid attention to where they were headed. She raced to the main doors of Kaiba Corp to see her beloved exiting as if shot from a cannon. She ran straight to him.

"Seto?!"

"Leese," Seto said, terror visible on his features, "Mokuba's been kidnapped. A former security guard took him right in front of my office and he has a gun to Mokie's head." Seto managed to speak calmly, but his face and emotions belied the calm. Lisa reached out to sense Mokuba, and sensed pain and full-blown terror. She heard very clearly, _I'm going to die. Kemo's going to kill me._ Her face went white.

"Lisa?" Seto asked, noticing the abrupt change in her complexion.

"He's really scared," she answered, eyes seeming to enlarge. Lisa had encountered evil before, but now it was deeply personal.

Seto's cell phone rang. "The media's been alerted by now," he muttered as he answered. "This is Kaiba… yes… he's where?!... Yes..? Yes! We'll be there immediately! Lisa," he said, terminating the call, "Kemo has Mokie at the top of a building a few blocks away from here." Lisa turned toward the sound of helicopters a short distance away, as he did. "The helicopters must've spotted them a couple of minutes ago." A black limousine pulled up and Seto opened the door. "Get in," he ordered and she got in. He followed and once the car was in motion, he placed his head in his hands.

Lisa knew from the past two weeks that this posture was indication of extreme emotional distress on her boyfriend's part. She gently put an arm across his shoulders to comfort him and he turned, pulling her into a tight hug.

"I'm here," she whispered. He nodded.

"Is there anything you can do?"

"I'll try," she whispered back. He let go.

"Thanks, Leese."

It didn't take long to reach the scene. The two jumped out of the limo and were greeted by a young police officer. "Mr. Kaiba," the tall blonde policewoman with green eyes said, "my name is Jessie Martin; I'm a sergeant with the Domino Police Department. And you are…?"

"Lisa Hammond," the young doctor introduced herself, "I'm the family doctor."

"Okay, then. The kidnapper has made no demands and our snipers can't get a clear shot to take him down. And it looks as if Mokuba's been hurt. Doctor?" She handed Lisa a pair of binoculars.

"Oh, no," the girl murmured.

"Leese?" Seto asked.

Lisa could see that Mokuba was pale and sweaty, and that there was blood on his lower legs. His shin guards were gone (he'd left them in the limo) and the socks looked crimson, not white. "Confirmed. I think he's in shock." And all the teen boy and girl could do was watch.

"Mokie," Seto breathed. Lisa took his hand surreptitiously and squeezed it. He squeezed back.

As the two looked up, Lisa sensed some familiar presences along with an acquaintance and someone new. "Lisa! Kaiba!" Yugi Muto shouted, coming through the crowd along with his group of friends.

"Guys!" Lisa exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

"We saw the news report. Kaiba, we're all here if you need us," the small teen said. Seto nodded, never turning his attention from the building and the behemoth holding his reason for living.

Lisa, meanwhile, started to concentrate. _Help me, Lord, I can't let Mokuba die, _she prayed. She reached with her telekinetic abilities so she could get a "grip" on the little boy. She had a feeling Kemo would throw Mokuba rather than just shoot the little boy at point-blank range. The latter, while killing the little boy, would not be quite so graphic and horrifying. Kemo, from what Seto had told Lisa, could've just shot Mokuba in the office but didn't.

Lisa could therefore determine that the former security guard wanted to cause maximum psychological damage to his former employer. She could feel Mokuba going deeper into shock, and knew she had to get to him somehow. She had grown to love Mokuba like the little brother she'd never had and to lose him would be nearly as devastating a blow to her as it would be to his flesh-and-blood brother. _Please help me, Lord. If I don't have the power to stop the fall, at least give me the power to slow him down enough. _The girl could see that the area immediately surrounding the building was cement and a drop from that height would likely kill the little boy or leave him permanently crippled. But if she could change his trajectory, Lisa could make sure Mokuba hit the grassy area thirty feet away from the building.

Finally at 5:28 PM, Kemo decided to end the torture of the little boy in his grasp and the older brother's torture. He looked down at the crowd, malevolent delight evident in his features. "Well, it's been fun, folks, but all good things must come to an end," he shouted. "Seto Kaiba, thanks for changing my life. Now it's my turn to return the favor! Say goodbye to your brother! Goodbye, kid!" He threw the barely conscious Mokuba, swiftly pulled out his gun and fired off three rounds. Lisa, meanwhile, was pulling as hard as she could using her powers. One bullet grazed Mokuba's shoulder, but the others didn't touch him. As Mokuba fell, Yugi, Teá, Tristan, Duke and Mai all shouted in horror.

Joey moaned, "Jesus, Mary, Joseph!"

Seto, however, screeched one word: "_**Mokuba!**_"

**TO BE CONTINUED…**

_This is a cliffhanger, everyone… Lisa has used her powers, but will it be enough? Chapter 10 Part II is coming right up! Read and review!_


	14. Kyrie Eleison Chap 10 Part II

Chapter X Part II: Kyrie Eleison/ Lord Have Mercy

_Hello, everyone! I know I'm updating fast, but like I said in the previous chapter, I don't like leaving cliffhangers… And I really don't like doing it when Mokuba's life hangs in the balance. He's just fallen off a building and I can't just leave it at that! So here comes part two! As usual, I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh or anything but the plot and my own characters…_

_**Author's notes, over five years later: **__There were minor structural changes in this chapter._

Lisa, as she had hoped and prayed, had enough power to make sure Mokuba landed on the grass and slowed his fall. She raced quickly to the spot where he'd landed, praying all the while, _please, Lord, don't let him be dead._ Somehow, Mokuba had hit the ground on his belly and rolled onto his back. _Lord have mercy._ The little boy was unconscious and as white as a sheet. His pallor was accentuated by the fact that there was a bloody gash on his forehead. The teen doctor knelt beside her patient and felt for a pulse along the carotid artery… _There_… His pulse was fast and weak, confirming what she already could see. The little boy was deeply in shock and if he didn't get to the hospital, he would die. Both Joey and Tristan had pulled their jackets off and handed them to Lisa. Seto, too, had removed his trench coat. The girl placed the jackets over Mokuba to warm him, and then the paramedics arrived. They placed the nine-year-old on a backboard and put him on a gurney to take him to Domino Children's Hospital.

Lisa moved away from the ambulance to tell her boyfriend his little brother's status. "Mokuba's hurt badly and they're taking him to Domino Children's. Do you—?"

"Lisa, you ride with him. We'll follow in the limo." She nodded, wishing she could kiss him and offer some comfort, but the media presence precluded that. She jumped in the ambulance and they were off. She quickly thumbed the Contacts button on her cell phone to call the most gifted pediatric surgeon at Domino Children's.

"Hello, Jean Louise Rhodes."

"Scout, it's Lisa. Are you—?"

"I've already got an OR ready. How are his vitals?"

"His pulse is thready, his skin is clammy, both forearms and lower legs are broken, and he's clearly in shock. I can only guess at his internal injuries. He also has a minor gunshot wound to the left shoulder."

"Okay. Do you think his brother would okay immediate surgery?"

"Yes."

"Okay. We'll take him in and get the waivers signed later."

Meanwhile, back at the scene of the crime, Seto looked back at the six teenagers. "Are you guys coming?" They looked at each other, nodded and climbed into the limo. The fifteen-minute ride to the hospital was virtually silent except for one thing. Seto was again sitting in the limo with his head in his hands, and Joey decided to break the silence.

"Kaiba?" Seto looked up, agony visible in his features.

"What, Wheeler?" Even his voice showed the pain. Ordinarily, Joey would've snapped at Seto for sounding so angry, but at this moment he looked at the other boy and saw himself over two weeks previously.

First, Joey was certain he'd seen what Yugi, Teá and Tristan had seen on the way over to Duelist Kingdom when he'd tried without success to save Yugi's Exodia cards from the Pacific Ocean. And then Joey was sure Mai had seen that expression on his face when he was on his knees in the hallway of Pegasus's castle thinking that he'd lost the chance to duel Bandit Keith (along with his entry card) for a chance at the three million dollar prize offered in the championship. Losing that opportunity meant that Joey had lost the chance to save his sister's eyesight, and though what was happening now wasn't exactly the same thing, the feeling of being helpless and desperate was the same. So Joey took a deep breath.

"Kaiba, I just wanted to say… I've got a little sister and I know how it feels to feel like you can't do anything to help when they're in trouble. I was fightin' for her at Duelist Kingdom. What I'm tryin' to say is… if you need to talk, you're not alone." Seto regarded Joey for a moment, then nodded. The limo returned to silence and Mai, sitting next to Joey, took his hand in hers.

Meanwhile, Lisa had arrived at Domino Children's and Scout herself had directed the gurney into the OR. "Lisa, I'll do my best." Lisa could only nod and take the forms an orderly handed her. The teen girl quickly filled out the information… _Name: Kaiba, Mokuba Richard… Date of Birth: 7-7-1994… Allergies: None…Oh, please, Lord, help Scout to save him!_ Lisa pleaded silently with the Almighty. She had the forms filled out quickly, except for Seto's signatures and the insurance numbers.

Seto and Team Yugi burst through the main doors of the ER. "Lisa," Seto said and pulled her into a hug. She held him as tightly as he held her for a moment. "What's happening?" he asked, looking her in the eyes.

"He's in surgery; Scout said delaying wouldn't be wise. They're putting him under."

"But he's…?"

"He's alive, but his condition is critical. Oh, you need to sign these." He picked up the forms she held out and quickly signed them.

"What are his chances?"

Lisa took a deep breath, and answered, "Scout never quotes the odds on these cases and I think she's right to do it." She quickly walked down to the proper desk, handed the receptionist the forms and returned to her boyfriend's side.

"Leese," he said in a strangled voice and pulled her into a hug again. She just held him for a minute and could sense the puzzlement from the teens in the ER corridor.

Lisa released from the hug and said, "Let's go into a waiting room, all right? If you guys haven't called your parents, you can call them from there. Does anybody have a cell phone?" Teá nodded, as did Duke and Seto. "You'll need to turn them off until we get to the room. Cell phone signals do something to the equipment here." They each walked in silence to a waiting room not too far from the ORs. The three teens with cell phones turned them back on, and calls to parents, guardian and in Seto's case, trusted security guard were made. Lisa excused herself for a few minutes to go to the doctors' locker room. As she walked down the hallway, she did what she often did. She prayed. Then she headed to the locker room where she changed into a pair of periwinkle blue sweats, white athletic ankle socks and white sneakers with blue accents.

Lisa quickly returned to the waiting room and sat down next to her boyfriend. "Anything yet?" Seto shook his head.

"Our parents and Yugi's grandpa are coming," Teá said. "They're bringing stuff for us to change into."

"Okay," Lisa said. "There are bathrooms down the hall so you guys can change."

Seto added, "Roland's bringing me a change, too. He sounded… upset." His voice had become shaky. "Leese…" She hugged him, but this time he needed and got a kiss. The other teens in the room had their suspicions confirmed.

"Oh. My. Gosh. You guys," Teá said, stunned.

Lisa broke the kiss first. "Oops," she said, looking at Seto. But he wasn't upset.

"I wanted us to be out in the open," he said softly. "Not necessarily like this, but…" he trailed off. Then, the adults arrived.

"Hi, Mom. Hi, Dad," Teá greeted a brown-haired, blue-eyed woman and a brown-haired, brown-eyed man who hugged her.

"How's…?" Then Tristan's parents arrived, followed by Yugi's grandfather. Lisa introduced herself, and noticed that Teá's parents had brought clothes for their daughter as well as Mai, and Tristan's mom and dad had brought clothes for their son, Joey and Duke (Lisa quietly noted that Tristan's wardrobe was ample). Yugi's grandfather had brought him a pair of gray sweats, socks and fresh sneakers and, to Yugi's slight embarrassment, his Dark Magician stuffed toy.

"I thought someone here might need this, Yugi."

"Um… thanks, Grandpa." Despite his age, the fifteen-year-old boy found himself hugging the plush toy.

"So how is Mokuba?" Rose Gardner asked.

"He was in critical condition when he was brought in," Lisa answered softly, telling them the boy's injuries. "But he's still alive and he's being worked on by one of the best pediatric surgeons in the business."

"He seems like such a sweet little boy," Amanda Taylor said. "How could somebody do what that monster did?"

"I wish I knew, Amanda. I see some pretty bad things in this hospital and I don't think I'll ever understand people who hurt kids."

Roland chose this moment to arrive. "Mr. Kaiba?" Seto looked up from the chair. The bodyguard had a bag with blue jeans, a bright blue sweatshirt, socks and sneakers. "I thought you might need a change of clothes. I… I'm sorry I wasn't there, sir."

"You had the day off, Roland," Seto said woodenly, "it wasn't your fault. If anything, it's my fault." Seto trailed off. Lisa looked at her love, but wasn't quite ready to say anything yet. The parents, grandfather and bodyguard stepped outside with the young doctor as Seto headed to the bathroom to change.

"Should we stay put?" Sam Taylor asked.

"Yeah, should we stay here?" Ben Gardner queried.

"It's going to be a long night, probably. You might want to ask them if they want you to stay," Lisa answered, tipping her head toward the group. Solomon Muto nodded.

"Yugi will probably tell me to go home. He worries about me. Lisa, are you all right? You look upset."

"I'm worried. My boyfriend's little brother is in surgery and I wish there was more I could do."

"Teá thought you two were maybe an item a week or so ago, but she wasn't sure," Rose said. "Well, Ben, speaking of our daughter…" The adults each headed into the waiting room, and one by one, the kids told them that while they each were glad Mom, Dad or Grandpa was willing to stay, they should go home.

"I'll stay with them," Roland volunteered. "When I left home, my wife told me I should stay here until we knew for sure about Mokuba. Lorelei feels bad that my principals don't have a mother of their own."

Lisa smiled sadly at this. _My mom thinks the same way. She feels bad they don't have a mom._ And so, after some quick hugs and goodbyes, the adults left except for Roland.

"Hey, Yugi?" Lisa asked when she'd sat down again.

"Yeah, Lisa?"

"That stuffed toy… how long have you had it?"

Yugi flushed slightly. "Well, I've had it since just after I moved in with Grandpa. He got it for me because I stopped using my teddy bear after…" He took a deep breath and Teá put her arm around him. When Yugi had composed himself, he released from Teá's hug and continued, "I got him after my mom and dad died in a car accident. I was three when it happened, and my dad didn't die right away. So I had nightmares for a while after it happened."

"I'm sorry, Yugi," Lisa said softly. She stood up and walked over to him. "Is it okay if I give you a hug?" He nodded, stood up and let her hug him.

"Thanks, Lisa. You're so nice," he said, smiling up at her in a similar manner to Mokuba. The resemblance of Yugi to the much younger boy was so strong, it made Lisa tear up.

"Lisa," Yugi said, noticing, "he'll be okay. He's gotta be."

Lisa moved to wipe her tears. "Thanks, Yugi." He walked her back to her seat next to Seto.

"He'll be okay, Kaiba," Yugi said softly, looking at his rival, hoping the other boy would become his friend. The teens all talked about non-consequential matters after that for a few minutes, trying valiantly to dissipate the tension.

And then Mai asked, "So how long have you two been dating?"

Seto answered, "A week and a half. I asked Lisa the night I was really recovering from the flu if she wouldn't mind seeing me socially. She said yes." He said this dully, as if it had meant nothing, but Lisa knew otherwise. _He's shutting himself down so he doesn't feel the worst of it._

It had been nearly an hour since Mokuba had been raced into emergency surgery, and now Seto got up and began to pace like a caged cat. "What's taking so long?" he asked. His voice was gaining some emotion and Lisa could sense and see his panic.

"Seto," she said, "he's only been in there an hour. Trauma cases can take a while. And Scout is very thorough. She doesn't rush through because she doesn't want to go back in unless it's absolutely necessary. She's going to make sure he's okay, honey."

"Has…" The teen CEO struggled for words as he sat down next to his girlfriend again. "Has Scout ever failed to save a patient, Leese?" His eyes had gained some life and were now giving the young doctor what she referred to mentally as "the laser gaze," a very intense gaze.

"To my knowledge," she answered gently, "Scout has lost three. The damage was very heavy, she said." Seto's eye, alive for a few minutes, dulled again, looking as lifeless as she'd ever seen them.

"My mom was healthy when she had what they called a normal childbirth and she still died," he said with no emotion in his voice. Yugi and everyone else looked at the brown-haired blue-eyed teen boy.

"Your mom died having Mokuba?" Yugi asked, looking really sad.

"Yeah, and then my dad…began to lose it. He killed himself when Mokuba was four. And…" Seto's voice dropped to just above a whisper. "Everything went wrong…"

Lisa knew that both Gozaburo Kaiba and Richard Delaney had killed themselves but for some reason she hadn't known about Seto and Mokuba's mother. She softly laid a hand on his shoulder and he again pulled her into a hug and then he began to really cry. She gently rubbed his back to give him some measure of comfort. The other six teens were stunned, seeing Seto Kaiba like this. He was actually acting… human. Sure they'd seen him act somewhat human, but to see him like this was definitely not normal. Lisa could sense this very strongly, but for the moment didn't mention it.

"I'm going to lose him," Seto moaned. Lisa just held him softly. She had been keeping her mental shields mostly up, but at this close proximity, she was strongly able to feel his emotions. Grief was strong, but so was a feeling of…_deserved torment… What? Why does he feel this way?_ He cried softly for nearly twenty minutes, and the waiting room was silent except for this. After he calmed down, Seto gripped his girlfriend's hand, as if to reassure himself that she was still there. She stayed next to him for another twenty minutes, then got up and headed to the bathroom.

On the way back from the bathroom, Lisa found herself wandering to the ORs. She hoped to see what Scout was doing, but instead found herself meeting an old friend. A male nurse with brown hair and blue eyes was leaving one of the operating rooms (ORs). He wasn't much taller than Lisa and he had the look of a happy puppy. "George?" Lisa called softly.

He turned and smiled. "Hey, Lisa. You okay?" he asked, coming to give her a hug. George O'Malley had attended the University of Washington at the same time Lisa had for her doctor's training and he'd become a good friend. Lisa had told George he'd be excellent in a children's hospital, and he'd taken her advice. She'd been delighted that the kind man twelve years her senior was at Domino Children's over a year before.

"I've been better," Lisa admitted. "Did you just come out of surgery?"

George nodded. "A nine-year-old. Some nutcase threw him off a building and shot him."

"Mokuba! Is he all right?" Comprehension dawned quickly on O'Malley's features.

"I almost forgot. He'll be okay, Leese."

The teen doctor threw her arms around the nurse and whispered, "Oh, thank You, God!" She was in tears as Scout Rhodes came up to the two people.

"I take it George told you," Scout said. "He's going to be okay. He's a sick boy, but he's going to make it. Why don't I go with you and we'll tell his brother?" Lisa nodded, smiling and feeling like she'd been reborn. It was 8:15 PM.

Seto and the others, meanwhile, had drifted into an uneasy silence. No one knew quite what to say to the young man who had been so cold and was now as vulnerable as they'd ever seen him. Now they were each locked in their own thoughts. Yugi, even, wasn't talking to Yami, only feeling his spirit partner's calming presence. They'd all perked their ears up as people walked up and down the hallway. Now, they heard footsteps and saw someone approach the door. Lisa walked through the door, followed by an older female doctor and a male nurse.

"Mr. Kaiba?" said the older doctor, and Seto looked up and stood.

"Are you Dr. Rhodes?" She nodded.

Seto James Kaiba's heart beat painfully, fearing the worst. Then he noticed Lisa's face. She'd been crying, but was smiling a relieved smile. Relief washed over the teen boy, but at the same time, his knees buckled beneath him. Fortunately, Joey and Tristan were close by and caught Seto before he could fall. They helped him to a chair and Scout and George moved to examine him. Lisa quickly moved next to her boyfriend and squeezed his hand. Scout checked him over quickly. "Are you all right?" He nodded, still feeling a little bit dizzy.

"How's my brother?"

"He's a very sick little boy right now, but he's going to get better. I'll start with the worst of it. He had some internal bleeding, but it wasn't horrible. We fixed that up and have made up for the blood loss. The gunshot wound he sustained was very minor and only required some stitches and some bandaging, as did the gash on his forehead. There might be a little scarring but his bangs should hide that. His forearms are both broken, and the tibiae and fibulae in his lower legs are both broken. We can't set those yet because we have to wait for the swelling to peak."

"Can… can I see him?" Seto asked hoarsely.

"Not yet," Scout answered, "but you can in a couple of hours. We're going to move him into a private room, but we just want to be sure he's all right before we move him, okay?"

"Okay. Will he be awake?" Scout shook her head.

"He's got a lot of pain medication in his system, so the earliest he'll be awake is tomorrow morning."

"But… he's going to be all right?"

The older doctor smiled. "He'll be fine."

_I didn't want to break up chapter 10, initially, but its length demanded that I do it. Seto Kaiba is really changing. We saw his reaction at Duelist Kingdom when he thought he was going to lose Mokuba, and I've based his reactions partly on that. Mokuba is his balance and his breaking point. To lose that child would be losing part of himself._

_Next time on "The Jedi League of Duelists…" Seto finally comes clean about his past, and Lisa reveals her own secret to the rest of the group…_

_Read and review!_


	15. Mea Maxima Culpa

Chapter XI: Mea Maxima Culpa/ Through My Most Grievous Fault

_Hello, again, faithful readers! Wow! I'm very happy with the relaunch of this story! Thanks to Invader101 and Glimerofhope for their reviews for the last couple of chapters. I know I'm posting fast, but this part of the story seems to ask to be reposted and quickly. I'm glad you're all paying attention to this story and enjoying it, too! This is probably the most complex story I have ever written and I'm glad you think it's good!_

_Last time on "The Jedi League of Duelists…" Mokuba Kaiba was kidnapped and nearly killed. Seto Kaiba was shown at his most vulnerable, and his and Lisa's relationship was finally out in the open. What's next? Find out…_

_As usual, Yu-Gi-Oh! does not belong to me. I also do not own the Latin prayer that Seto says. That is the Confiteor Prayer that was used in "Heaven's Light/ Hellfire" in Disney's "The Hunchback of Notre Dame." The full version of the prayer is known as the Missal of Paul VI, and its use is apparently debated. It sounds incredible, though, and I wanted to use it. "I'll Stand By You" belongs to The Pretenders and was first heard on the album, "The Last of the Independents," copyrighted 1985. __**Author's note, over five years later: **__I have changed the way Seto's monologue is presented. I hope it isn't too confusing._

"He'll be okay," Jean Louise "Scout" Rhodes reiterated to Seto Kaiba. "If you'd like, Mr. Kaiba, we can take you and anyone else you'd like to come with to your brother's room. It might be a bit more private and you can all wait until Mokuba's brought in."

"Okay," Seto said, "thank you, Dr. Rhodes. And…?"

"George O'Malley, I'm a nurse." The teen boy got steadily to his feet, as did everyone else. "It'll take a few minutes for the room to be ready," George said, "so you all might want to freshen up a little."

"George," Lisa asked, "could I talk to you a minute?" He nodded, and she quickly whispered something in his ear. He nodded again, took some money from her and headed to the front of the hospital. He returned carrying five boxes of pizza. "I'll take these up."

Scout told Lisa which room Mokuba would be in, and the teens headed to the bathrooms to freshen themselves up. They all met up and Lisa led them to the room on the third floor of the hospital. They were all quiet as it was 8:45 and many of the young patients were going to sleep. Finally, the band of teens found themselves in a spacious room with chairs for everyone, a table with the pizza boxes, plates, napkins and different canned and bottled drinks, and a hospital bed that was currently vacant. Next to the bed, there was a rocking chair with cushy white pads and the initials LAH on the headrest.

"Lisa Angela Hammond, I presume?" Seto asked, noticing.

Lisa nodded. "This chair was going to be thrown away, but I really liked it and it had a lot of wear left in it. The chief surgeon pulled some strings and now she keeps this chair just for me."

"That's nice," Seto said woodenly. Everyone grabbed slices of pizza and drinks, sat down and ate their very late dinner.

Having exhausted a lot of trivial talk, the teens decided to ask Lisa about herself. "Lisa?" Joey asked. Lisa looked up from her slice of pepperoni and black olive pizza.

"Yes, Joey?"

"Where are you from?"

"Oh, I'm from a town called Kirkland. It's just outside of Seattle, and it's a really nice place to grow up. It's the only home I ever knew, and part of me didn't like leaving."

"How come?" Teá asked. "Weren't you looking forward to the adventure?"

Lisa nodded. "Yeah, but I had to leave my family to do it. We're pretty close-knit so it was really hard to leave them." She pulled her wallet out of her pocket and pulled a picture from it. "This is the immediate family." Everybody crowded around to look except for Seto who had seen the picture before.

The picture was a portrait of Lisa, a bit younger, sitting next to an athletic-looking young man with hazel-brown eyes and close-cropped brown hair. He looked to be a few years older than Lisa. Standing behind the two kids was a happy-looking short brown-eyed woman with her brown hair styled in a pageboy and a tall man of medium build with twinkling blue eyes, and a bald head with light brown hair around the edge of his head.

"You've got a big brother?" Tristan asked.

"Yeah. His name's Eddie and he's not quite five years older than me. And he's been a little apprehensive about me dating."

Joey started to laugh a little. "I understand where he's comin' from. I don't wanta think about my sister datin'. She just turned fourteen, and I don't want to see her heart get broke."

"You can't avoid that, Joey, unless you're really lucky," the girl answered. The blonde boy pulled a beat-up yellow wallet from his pocket and flipped it open to reveal the picture of a redheaded girl with dreamy brown eyes.

"This is Ren… Serenity. Sorry, Ren's her nickname. I couldn't quite say her name when she was born so I called her Ren."

"My brother calls me Leese," Lisa said, smiling.

"Ren gets top grades at her school in North Haverbrook even though her eyesight's bad," the boy said proudly.

"Yeah? What's up with her eyes?"

"She's had bad eyes since she was born and it's comin' to the point she's gonna need surgery or she'll be blind even if she could get the surgery later."

"Is it congenital glaucoma?"

Joey's eyes widened in surprise. "How'd you know?"

"One of the doctors I work with is an eye doctor. Dr. Misawa answers whatever questions I've got about specialized care. Is she on meds?"

"Yeah. But the doctors she has said they won't work for much longer." Lisa put her hand on Joey's shoulder.

"It'll work out, Joey. Somehow, it will work out." Joey hugged her.

"Thanks, Lisa." She gave him a smile, and sobered.

The group talked for a while after that, Lisa telling a little more about her life and the group talking about their families. At 10:30, when the room had again drifted into silence, the teens all heard gurney wheels. Lisa got up, laid her hand on Seto's shoulder, squeezing, and then headed out to the hall. Sure enough, Scout, George and two orderlies were moving the gurney that held… "Oh, Mokuba," Lisa said softly. Scout looked up and motioned the young doctor to come forward.

"He's going to be all right, Lisa," the older doctor said, pulling the girl into a very motherly hug.

_Why, Lord? Why does this happen to children who never hurt anyone?_ Lisa asked of the Almighty. Had she not known that the little boy was going to be okay, Lisa would've broken down sobbing.

About six hours previously, Mokuba had been a relatively happy little boy who'd just finished his soccer practice and was heading to his brother's office to have his afternoon snack. He'd have been looking forward to seeing her at dinner, not knowing she was coming to join him and Mokuba for their snack for the first time. Now, what Mokuba looked like was breaking Lisa's heart. As Scout had said earlier, the little boy was unconscious and heavily bruised. Mokuba was loosely covered in a paper hospital gown because he couldn't be in the hospital issue pajamas. There was a bandage over a spot on his forehead and a bandage on his left shoulder where he'd been shot, and his forearms and lower legs were heavily bandaged and splinted.

Scout didn't totally let Lisa out of the hug and looked at the girl's hurt expression. "Are you okay, sweetie?"

"Scout… It's just…" She couldn't finish the thought and visibly struggled for control.

"He's not just your patient anymore, Leese. Hang in there, and I'm here if you need me."

"So am I," George said, hugging Lisa as well.

"Thanks, guys," Lisa said pulling herself together as best she could. Together, the five people walked the little boy's gurney into the hospital room.

Everyone waiting in the room stood up as Mokuba was brought in. At this particular moment, Lisa wished she didn't have abilities as strong as she had them because she could feel the emotional pain of everyone around her, Seto's most strongly. Scout, George and the orderlies carefully moved Mokuba into the hospital bed while Lisa gently gripped his brother's hand. The four medical personnel positioned the small boy's IV tree, then gently covered him with a blanket. Scout and George both instructed Lisa to call them if anything was needed, and then they and the orderlies left the room. Everyone was quiet for three minutes, and then Joey broke the silence, his fists clenched in anger.

"What kinda jerk would do this to a defenseless little kid?! I hope they put him in jail and throw away the key!"

"Oh, he'll burn in Hell, Joey," Lisa said with a Seto Kaiba-like iron in her voice. Everyone stared at her. "When I was up and walking at one point, I caught the news and the police snipers got him just after he threw Mokuba. That monster was dead when Mokuba hit the ground."

"Good," Teá said coldly. "He won't hurt anybody else." Everyone nodded. Seto sat down next to Mokuba's bed and the sounds around him faded away. His focus was on Mokuba alone until something happened to break it.

"Yugi? Are you okay?" Lisa was asking his rival. Yugi had started shaking and wouldn't stop.

"Yuge, what's wrong?" Joey asked, laying his hands on the smaller teen's shoulders. Lisa took a deep breath and again sensed the duality that was Yugi David Muto.

_Yugi, are you okay?_ the other presence known as Yami asked.

_Yami… I just can't take this! How could Kemo just..? _

The other presence sighed. _People can be very cruel… What the..?_ He'd detected Lisa's presence. _Who are you?_ Yami asked in a voice that indicated he wasn't used to refusal. Lisa closed her eyes and found herself in the landscape of Yugi's mind.

The teen girl found herself in a twilight corridor with two doors on either side of her. To her right was a modern metal door and the diminutive teenager she knew as Yugi David Muto. To her left was a door and décor reminiscent of the Temple of Doom and a Yugi that looked older and perhaps a bit dangerous, yet… regal and familiar. "My name's Lisa," she said. "I don't mean either of you any harm. I was trying to determine if you were okay, Yugi."

The shorter boy walked over to the taller one and said, "She's okay, Yami, and I think she has a secret, too."

"All right. You may call me Yami," the older boy said, narrowed eyes widening back to normal size.

"You're the other one I've sensed before," she said.

"You could sense us both?" Yugi asked curiously. She nodded, as Yami made a shocked noise.

"That night Mokuba got sick with the flu. I withdrew before either of you could sense me." The boys who looked so much alike looked at each other and then at her.

"Why?" Yugi asked.

"I didn't want to intrude," she answered.

"So how can you do this?" he asked further.

"I'll tell everybody, because I think you all might be like me. I'm not sure."

"Okay," Yugi and Yami both said, and the room dissolved.

When Lisa became aware of herself, she also became aware that Seto and the other teens were staring at her; except, that is, for Yugi. He was smiling a little. "You both blanked out for a minute. I was just about to call Dr. Rhodes," Seto said, looking very concerned.

"Just having a conversation with Yugi, honey." Seto's eyebrows raised in surprise and understanding.

"Your powers?" he asked without thinking. Everyone else stared.

Lisa took a breath, and told them what she'd told Seto over a week and a half earlier. "For some reason, my telepathic abilities are stronger around Seto, and Yugi, I don't know you that well, but I'm able to talk to you mentally. I know this is one of the worst times to ask, but… have any of you had a telepathic or empathic experience recently?"

Teá, Tristan, Joey and Yugi all exchanged glances and nodded. "It happened at Duelist Kingdom," the blue-eyed dancer explained. "Yugi was dueling Pegasus and we all felt him hurting and then…" Teá's voice failed her.

Joey quickly took over. "It felt like Yuge was… gone. We couldn't feel him at all. We thought Pegasus had done him in, but… then Teá got the idea that we could reach him and help him fight Pegasus," Joey trailed off, looking at his friends, not knowing what to say next.

"It's okay, guys. She knows," Yugi said. A pair of honey-brown eyes, a pair of hazel-brown eyes and a pair of blue ones looked to the amethyst ones in shock. Seto looked puzzled as did Mai and Duke, so Lisa took a breath.

"You notice how different he is when he duels, right?" The three who weren't in the know nodded. "There are two in this body, not just one, and they duel as one."

"Leese…?" Seto asked, not quite believing it, but realizing what she said somehow made sense. Then he added, "I kind of had an experience like these three did. It was when Pegasus sent his goons after me and I was in… well, I haven't taken you there yet, but it's my special computer room. Yugi was dueling… I don't know what it was, but it wasn't me. I uploaded a virus into the Blue Eyes White Dragon, but it wasn't working quickly enough. I yelled out and I kind of felt Yugi's presence."

"I sensed you, too and that's how I knew you weren't dead," Yugi explained.

"You thought I was…?"

"Well, Kemo said it, and Mokuba was terrified it was true."

"It's what I deserved." Everyone in the room looked at Seto in horror.

"You don't," Yugi said, but Seto cut him off.

"I do. You don't know what I've done…"

"Seto," Lisa said softly, "tell us, then. I haven't wanted to press you, but I know you're hiding something from me." Seto was quiet for a long moment. Lisa sat down next to him and took his hands in hers. "I know you're sad and hurting, and Mokuba knows it too. He hasn't told me and I wouldn't force it out of him." Seto pulled away from her, but not because he was uncomfortable.

"Mokuba," he said softly, and then agonized, "I'm sorry. I'm such a screw-up, I'm sorry!" He sank to his knees at the edge of the bed, eyes burning. Lisa knelt next to him, and Seto could sense the others crowding around him.

"Kaiba," Yugi said softly, "tell us, please. I want to be your friend, but you won't let me be. We want to be your friends."

"You wouldn't if you knew," Seto trailed off and almost seemed to freeze. Lisa got him to stand and sit in a chair.

"Tell me… tell them," she nearly whispered.

"Do you know Latin?" he asked, voice low. She nodded. "After this, you'll know why you shouldn't love me."

"Too late. I already do," she answered. "What do you need me to do?"

"I've got to say something in Latin first."

"Okay."

Seto took a deep breath. "Confiteor Deo Omnipotenti…"

To everyone's surprise, Joey began to translate. "I confess to God Almighty…"

"Beatae Mariae semper Virgini…"

"To Blessed Mary ever Virgin…"

"Beato Michaeli archangelo…"

"To the blessed archangel Michael…"

"Sanctis apostolic omnibus sanctis…"

"To the holy apostles, to all the saints…"

"Et tibi Pater…"

"And to You, Father…"

"Quia peccavi nimis…"

"That I have sinned…"

"Cogitatione, verbo, et opere…"

"In thought, in word and deed…"

"Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa…"

"Through my fault, through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault…" As soon as Joey finished translating, Seto shook a bit then regained some control.

"How did you…?" he asked, looking at the blonde boy.

"Father Pat at St. James taught me. I wanted to know what that song from _Hunchback_ meant, and he taught me all about old Masses and how they were conducted in Latin. So what did you do?" Joey was very serious when he asked, as well as concerned. They all were, Seto realized.

He took a few deep breaths to compose himself and spoke to Lisa first. "I lose everyone I love. After this, you won't be any different, except you'll be alive." Lisa blushed, as he'd pretty much said the words she'd been hoping he'd say.

"Help us understand, Seto. Honey, please…" He sighed softly.

"Can you handle the whole ugly truth?" She nodded, keeping his hands in her smaller ones.

"Tell us." He looked straight at her, and around at the group and saw no hatred as he thought he might. So Seto James Kaiba took a deep breath again, and told his tale….

Y

My mom died on the day Mokuba was born, and my dad blamed Mokie for it. He fell apart and would hardly look at Mokuba for the four years he had left. So I took care of Mokuba. I promised him and I promised my mom after she died that I'd always look out for him. Then our dad committed suicide, and in the letter he left me, Dad blamed Mokuba for Mom dying. He doesn't know that Dad blamed him for Mom's death, but Dad's dying led to us being in the orphanage. Apparently no one in our family wanted us so we got sent to Domino Orphanage.

There were some really bad kids at that place. They took toys from Mokuba, and they would've done bad things to him if I wasn't there to protect him. And nobody wanted to adopt us together. They liked me because I was so smart, but at least one set of parents said they didn't want two kids because a four-year-old was too much bother. And there was no way I'd be separated from my brother. One day, Mokuba and I were in the orphanage and I was trying to teach him chess. We saw a news report that Gozaburo Kaiba was coming to the orphanage and I said that Gozaburo was our ticket out of the orphanage and I knew just how to get him to take us. Sometimes I think that was the second biggest mistake of my life.

I challenged Gozaburo to a chess game and beat him. He was a chess grand master, and I, who'd just turned twelve years old, beat him. I'd told him that if I won the game, he'd adopt Mokuba and me that day, no questions asked. He kept his word, and a few days later, we moved into the mansion and then we were in Hell. Lisa, those marks on my back isn't the worst of what he did to me. I didn't know that day at the orphanage that I was making a deal with Satan himself. Our real dad had been neglectful and drunk, but he wasn't abusive. Gozaburo made me realize what abuse really was. He made me work fourteen hours a day without breaks, and beat me if I so much as looked the wrong way. He'd threaten me with taking Mokuba away, he'd beat me and… he went after me.

Y

"He went… after you?" Lisa asked, and then realized in horror. Seto thought he'd seen Lisa angry before, but this… her eyes were blazing. He nodded, voice shaking slightly when he spoke again.

"It happened when he got drunk enough. He wanted to break me completely, and he almost did."

Y

I showed you that Blue Eyes drawing that Mokuba made for me when he was little. He saved me with that drawing. I'd just been through a horrible study session and it was really late. Gozaburo had taken all of my toys except my Duel Monsters cards because I'd smuggled them to Mokuba. Somehow, he got the cards back to me that night, and in the deck, he'd put a drawing of a Blue Eyes White Dragon that he'd made himself. If it wasn't for that card and for him, I might've found a way to end the torture. Yeah, at twelve years old, when my life should've been beginning, I was thinking of snuffing it out. But Mokuba saved me from that. I knew if I gave up, Gozaburo would turn on him. So I started figuring a way to take Satan down, and he handed me the weapon.

It was around my thirteenth birthday when he offered me and Mokuba a challenge, saying that my formal education was over. He gave us $10 million to turn into $100 million and told us to do it in one year. I quickly found a company that wasn't doing so well, bought it and then sold it back to the guy for $100 million in the space of one week. Mokie and I were able to keep that $10 million to use for whatever we wanted. So I used that money to begin a takeover of Kaiba Corp, and I quietly talked to the Big Five, my late board of directors and got them to give their shares of the company to me. I didn't think I was making a deal with five devils that day, and by the time the game was reaching its end, we had bought out nearly half the company. But then… the information was leaked to Gozaburo.

Y

Seto paused here and looked as if he was being tortured. Lisa could again feel his feeling of deserved pain, and she pulled him into a tight hug. "Whatever you're about to tell me, you were a frightened thirteen-year-old boy," she said against his chest and shoulder.

"Lisa…"

"Seto," Yugi spoke up, using his rival's first name for the first time when addressing him, "please talk about it. I don't know what happened, but… Kaiba, I want to be your friend, we all do. And that means you tell us what's hurting you so much so we can help you. Please?" Yugi gave the taller boy a close approximation of Mokuba's "Puppy Eyes of Death," and something in Seto unlocked.

"I… can't forgive myself for this, and I think it makes me the worst human being on the planet."

Y

I found a way to make Gozaburo think he'd won the game. The someone who leaked the information to Gozaburo… was me. But no one knew it was me. Mokuba had recently turned six, and I couldn't risk his accidentally tipping Gozaburo off. I couldn't tell Mokuba what I was doing, and I also couldn't tell him that I'd act like I thought he was leaking information to Gozaburo. What kind of a big brother was I to throw him under the bus like that? I shoved him to the floor and yelled at him, so of course he ran crying to that monster. But then, when Gozaburo confronted me and said I'd failed, Mokuba gave his two percent of the company to me. I was so mean to Mokuba, and yet… he still loved me anyway.

So Gozaburo lost the company to a thirteen-year-old kid and a first-grader. He didn't take it too well and exploded. The Big Five left the room and I told Mokuba to run and he did. Gozaburo charged me and chased me. I knew if he caught me, this time he'd kill me, but… I knew where his gun was and that it was loaded. So I went for it and when I made it to the center of the room, I held it so if he tried to charge again, I'd fire. I was a lot shorter than he was and I needed to try to level the playing field, and there was no way I'd let him hurt me or Mokuba ever again. He said, "So this is how it is, Seto." He turned around and charged at the window. The last thing he said before he jumped was, "This is what happens to losers, Seto." I as good as killed him. I killed a man at the age of thirteen. I'm a murderer, a horrible brother and a lousy excuse for a human being.

Y

"So now you know." The room was silent.

"Seto, you're not a murderer," Lisa said softly, still hugging him. "It was self-defense."

"And you're not a horrible brother or a lousy excuse for a human bein'," Joey added.

"Wheeler," Seto said, still agonized, but the blonde boy held up his hand for silence.

"You've pretty much raised him and he's a good kid. He wouldn't be if you hadn't done such a good job with him. Do you know that he actually dueled Yuge so he could save Kaiba Corp and get you back?" Seto looked at Joey.

"Are… are you serious, Whee...?"

"It's Joey, 'cause that's what my friends call me. And yes, I am. He tried to hide who he was, but Yuge and… well, we call him Big Yugi… saw right through him, and we all wanted to help Moks. And if Kemo hadn't snatched him back when Yuge was duelin'… whatever the heck he was duelin'… he woulda been with us when you landed with the helicopter."

"And I never would've dueled you and been a bully like I was. I was a bully, plain and simple, Joey, and I'm sorry."

"Do one thing, Kaiba, and I'll accept your apology."

"Yeah?"

"Forgive yourself, 'cause I think your brother will forgive you. I know my sister wouldn't like me doin' to myself what you're doin' to yourself."

The brunette boy regarded his tall blonde male rival for a moment, not quite knowing what to say. "Thanks, Joey," he said finally, hoarsely. He finally let go of Lisa and laid his arms on the edge of Mokuba's bed. "Mokie, please forgive me. Lisa?"

"Yeah?" she asked.

"Could… could you sing?"

"Huh?"

"You sang so beautifully that night I was so sick, and it helped me and Mokuba relax. Just sing anything." He laid his head down on the bed, and Lisa gently rubbed his back for a minute as she would an upset child's. Then she chose her song.

"I think I know the right one. It fits you and me, Seto, but it also fits everyone in this room because it's about standing by people even when it's hard…" She took a deep breath and began to sing "I'll Stand by You" as sung by The Pretenders.

When Lisa looked up after singing the entire song, everyone had fallen asleep. It was nearly 12:30 in the morning, so the teen doctor settled herself in the chair, and stayed up the rest of the evening. _I meant it, honey,_ she sent into Seto's mind, _I love you no matter what, and I will stand by you._

Y

_I am assuming that Seto is really tortured inside and something as traumatic as nearly losing his brother right in front of him might just shake those painful things loose or drive him bonkers. This might make him seem a little out of character from the SetoKaiba we've gotten to know, but we have seen inklings of his suppressed humanity from time to time._

_Next time, on "The Jedi League of Duelists," Mokuba awakens. What results from this night of confessions? Find out! Read and review if you dare._


	16. Dawn

Chapter XII: Dawn

_Hi, again, Yu-Gi-Oh fans! First, thanks to Glimerofhope and Invader101 for their reviews of the previous chapter. And to those of you who are still reading and wanting to review, please do! I love to hear your opinions!_

_Previously on "The Jedi League of Duelists," Seto finally let out a lot of emotional pain and Lisa revealed her powers to the group. Mokuba was supposedly asleep when his brother let out his emotional torture caused by physical torture, so will Seto have to repeat himself? What's going to happen? Find out. I own nothing but the plot and Lisa. There is no singing in this chapter, though there will be romantic and painful stuff, as well as some foreshadowing (Ominous music plays). __**Author's notes, over five years later:**__ I changed section breaks and reworked the wording in some places. I also changed the name of Darla's husband to bring him into sync with another universe. It's a bit… nerdish, but I like a certain amount of conformity between my universes._

_Interlude music—"Passage Terminated," the love theme from "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine," an instrumental written by Dennis McCarthy. It's track 12 on the Deep Space Nine CD, in case you're wondering._ _From the end of "Mea Maxima Culpa" to this chapter, a few hours have passed._

Darla Truesdale had had a long night at the birthing center at Domino Children's Hospital. Being an OB/GYN means you have crazy working hours because babies come into the world at odd hours, and the previous night, the Lanz baby had decided to start entering the world at 7:00 PM and didn't come until 5:45 AM. Darla would've loved to be at home last night for her husband and boys, but it just hadn't worked out. She'd called to say good night to the boys, explaining that she couldn't be home because she was helping another baby come to its mommy.

Four-year-old Zane had taken it well. "I know you have to work, Mommy," he'd said and once again his mother marveled at the calm beyond his years he displayed.

Syrus, however, did not take the news so well. "_**Mommy! I want you home**_!" he'd howled.

"It'll be okay, honey," Will had said, trying to reassure his wife.

_I can't help but worry,_ Darla thought sadly. _I'll get home just as the boys are waking up._ She headed down the hallway now to Mokuba Kaiba's room to check on her colleague and young friend, Lisa. She checked herself in a nearby mirror, making sure her blue hair was still well contained in a bun (it was rather unruly out of the bun) and that her spectacles were straight. Then she peered around the door.

Darla saw one brown-haired teenage boy sprawled across the patient's bed and six other teens sleeping in different chairs, all of them covered with blankets. Lisa, though, was wide awake and checking her patient's vitals. The girl looked up, smiling tiredly from her all-night vigil.

"Hi, Darla," she said quietly around a yawn.

"Late night?" Darla asked.

"Yeah… what time is it?"

Darla consulted her watch. "It's 7:35. Were you up all night?"

"Yeah, but it was worth it. I helped my friends and my boyfriend last night."

"The whole floor heard you. Scout was telling me just before she went home at 12:45 that a little girl down the hall was having trouble sleeping and they both heard you singing. That little kid actually asked if Celine Dion was here. Are you sure you're in the right profession?"

"Wow."

"So will you be on for a bit longer? You look really tired, sweetie."

"I'll be on until Mokuba's awake and I'm sure he's okay to be left."

"Did you take care of everyone else?"

"Yeah. And I've finally got friends my own age," she whispered happily.

"I hoped you'd get that, Lisa," Darla whispered back. "Now do I have your word you're going to get some rest?"

"Yes, ma'am," Lisa answered quietly.

"I'll see you later, then, sweetie. I've got to get home to Will, Zane and Sy."

"Bye, Darla," Lisa whispered, and then looked around at her friends and her love. Seto was as he'd been last night when she'd covered him with the blanket, sleeping with his head on his arms. Yugi was sleeping in a chair next to Teá, his head resting against her side. Duke and Tristan were fast asleep in their chairs, while Joey was lightly snoring in his chair, Mai's head resting on his shoulder. Lisa smiled at the scene, and sat back for a few minutes.

_Mokuba's going to be okay,_ she thought, remembering his vitals. _He's gone from critical to serious condition and probably will be in fair condition shortly. I'll just rest here until he wakes up._ She fought sleeping because she needed to check him when he came to. So Lisa kept an eye on the monitors for another hour.

At 8:30, Mokuba's pulse and brain activity started to increase. Lisa watched her patient for a couple of minutes, and then his eyes fluttered open. He looked confused for a minute, then focused on Lisa. She pushed a button on the bed's control, careful not to wake Seto, but also to make sure that Mokuba was sitting well for his circulation. She grabbed a cup of water with a straw in it and helped Mokuba take a sip. "Welcome back, angel," she said softly. "For a bit, we all thought…" Her voice failed her.

"You thought I was gonna die," Mokuba said, equally softly. He looked around the room, noticing his brother, as well as Yugi and his friends sleeping. "They stayed; I wasn't dreaming."

Lisa knelt for a minute and checked Mokuba's eyes and everything else, then asked, "You weren't dreaming… what, sweetheart?"

"Last night… Lisa, I heard what Seto said, and I saw a lot of things…"

Y

I thought I was gonna die last night when Kemo kidnapped me. He broke my legs just 'cause he wanted to, even though he said it was 'cause I yelled to Seto for help and then kicked Kemo. When we were on top of that building, I knew how he was gonna kill me, and then I saw you and Seto and Yugi, Teá, Joey, Mai, Tristan and... who's that guy?... yeah, Duke Devlin down there below me. I felt bad you guys were gonna see me die, but I felt better knowing I wasn't alone. I guess I blacked out, 'cause I don't remember much except feeling like I was flying and it felt like something was trying to slow me down.

The next thing I knew, I was floating over my body and I saw you and everybody watching. Then I saw Seto, Joey and Tristan taking off their jackets. I thought I was dead, but then… this is gonna sound really weird… Okay… Well, I felt a hand on my shoulder as I was floating there. I turned around and I saw this pretty lady in a light blue dress, and she had hair and eyes like mine… Yeah, I'd seen her before in pictures. It was my mommy. Her name's Adina. She died when I was born, and she came to help me.

I asked her, "Am I dead, Mommy?"

She said, "No, sweetie, but you're a very sick boy. It's not your time to go up with me, and it won't be for a long time. But I'm here with you right now, and I'm not going to leave until you and your brother are going to be okay." So she held my hand and we followed the ambulance to the hospital.

Mommy hugged me when we saw me being taken into surgery and when we saw how upset you were. She said you were pretty sure I'd be okay, but you were really scared I wouldn't be. Then Seto and Yugi and his friends came running into the hospital and I was really surprised when Seto hugged you in front of everybody and then when he kissed you in front of everybody. But Mommy wasn't surprised and she said so. "He loves her, Mokuba, and he's glad she loves both of you."

Seto told me he liked you liked you, and I hoped he'd be able to tell you himself. And then he did… and he told all of you about what happened to him. I already knew Daddy hated me and that he killed himself because of me—I found the letter, Lisa. I knew Gozaburo hurt him and I thought he'd been hiding something from me… I figured it was that bad… Yeah, I heard what he said after. I always wondered why he was so mad at me that day, 'cause he should've known I'd never have told. That was the worst day of my life, but… somehow I knew Seto wasn't really mad at me. He never told me about the gun, but I'm glad to know he didn't really kill Gozaburo. Then Mommy asked me, "Can you forgive your brother?" I said yeah, I could. Then she told me to tell him that when I woke up. Before I went back down, we heard you sing the standing song and that you loved Seto no matter what. Did you mean it, Lisa?

Y

"Yes, I did, baby, and I'm glad your brother feels the same way," Lisa said.

"I was hoping you meant it, Leese," Seto said softly. Lisa started, and turned around.

"Did you hear everything?" she asked.

"I did, and Mokuba…"

"Big brother, you don't have to apologize anymore. What Joey said last night, he was right. I want you to be happy again."

"All right, Mokie. Could you do one thing for me though, now that Lisa and I are official?"

"Yeah?"

"Tell me when I screw up, okay?"

"Gotcha." Lisa was smiling as Seto talked with his brother because there was an abrupt change in her beloved's emotions. It was as if she'd been standing in the desert before dawn and the rising sun's rays were warming the air around her.

The older boy ruffled his brother's bangs lovingly, and Mokuba tried to reach out to take his brother's hand. But when he tried, Mokuba whimpered. "It hurts, Seto. It hurts."

Lisa got up quickly and checked Mokuba's chart. "I'll call George and get him to bring in the…" Just then, George arrived with the appropriate medications and Lisa quickly injected them into Mokuba's IV tube. He immediately relaxed and fell back to sleep as George exited the room.

Seto groaned softly. "I hate to see him hurting like this."

Lisa said softly, "You're not the only one, honey."

"So I guess we're official."

"Yeah. Do we tell the press?"

"You tell me," he answered, drawing her into a long, slow kiss. The kiss was abruptly broken by soft clapping. The couple turned to notice everyone in the room smiling happily.

"Way to blow the mood, guys," Lisa said ruefully, but laughingly. Yugi had a big grin on his face.

"I was right. You're a lot more human than you ever let on, Kaiba," he said.

"Yugi," Seto said in the creepy voice Yugi and his friends had come to loathe, "I have a few things to say to you." Lisa could sense everyone in the room who was awake tense up. He was doing it for a joke, she realized, but they didn't know it yet.

"Y-yeah, Kaiba?" the short teen asked nervously.

"The name is Seto," he said in a far warmer voice. "I'd like all of you to call me by my first name. I also want to apologize to you and Joey for how I acted at Duelist Kingdom. Joey, I shouldn't have used you as a guinea pig for my duel disk system, and it may have been a war, but I didn't have to attack you. And Yugi, how I acted at the castle was inexcusable. I felt like my life wasn't worth living if I couldn't save Mokuba, so I figured if you were going to beat me, I might as well force you to kill me. I…" To his own surprise, Seto found his voice choking up.

Then he felt a small pair of arms go around him in a gentle hug. He looked down to see his rival giving him a hug as Mokuba might. "I know," Yugi said softly. "I forgive you. And if you think you're anything like he was, you aren't because I don't think he'd ever have been sorry." Yugi pulled away from Seto, still smiling.

"Thanks, Yugi."

Then Joey came forward. "I'm not gonna hug ya, Kai… I mean, Seto, but I am gonna accept your apology," the blonde boy said, holding his hand out. Seto grasped it firmly and shook it. Tristan clapped him on the shoulder, and then Teá came forward.

"Um… Seto?"

"You don't have to apologize," he said. "I deserved what I got from you." Lisa looked at him, eyebrows raised, and then quickly sensed what the other blue-eyed girl was apologizing for.

"She told you you'd forgotten your humanity?"

He nodded. "Lisa, babe, I went Vulcan." Everyone in the room looked at him strangely except for Lisa.

"Just remember that 'logic is the beginning of wisdom,' hon, 'not the end,'" she said, quoting a line from _Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country._

Duke recognized the line. "Oh, man. You two are into _Star Trek_?"

"Yup. He's a geek, too," Lisa grinned wickedly.

"Seto Kaiba," Joey said, barely containing his laughter, "welcome to the geek squad, or would ya prefer the wiener patrol?" Everyone cracked up.

Y

Shortly after Seto Kaiba found himself a full-fledged member of "the geek squad," as he'd once called Yugi and his pals, Scout Rhodes and another senior doctor at Domino Children's walked by the room. "Good morning, Lisa," Scout greeted.

Lisa yawned and answered, "Morning, Scout. Oh…" Another yawn. "Good morning, Doctor Bailey," she greeted a short, spunky African-American woman and another excellent pediatric surgeon.

"Good morning, Dr. Hammond. How's the patient?" Bailey asked.

"Doing much better, ma'am. He's in pain, so he's on…" Lisa quickly named the pain medications, and then added, "He fell asleep about half an hour ago and his vitals have greatly improved." She yawned again.

"That's excellent, Dr. Hammond. Now, did I hear it right from Dr. Rhodes that you were up all night with a patient?"

Lisa knew it was unwise to lie to Miranda Bailey, and she would never try it. "You heard it correctly, Doctor. I already promised Dr. Truesdale I'd go home as soon as possible. I…" She yawned again, and continued, "was just discussing with our friends how best to proceed because Seto and I don't want Mokuba waking up alone."

"Okay, so who's staying?" Bailey asked the group of kids. The other six teens raised their hands.

"We'll all leave in shifts," Yugi said to the doctor who was just a bit taller than he was. "It's all right, Doctor Bailey. Lisa and Seto will go home first."

She nodded. "The next time I see you, Lisa, you had better have those dark smudges out from under your eyes."

"Yes, ma'am," Lisa answered. The two older doctors nodded and left.

Seto took a good look at his beloved and noticed what the all-night vigil had done to her. And though she was trying to hide it, he could actually feel her exhaustion. "I must be picking up on your thoughts and emotions now, Lisa, because you're exhausted. I'm going to call the limo out to the back, so we can avoid the press. We'll go home and you can sleep."

"Where do you live, Lisa?" Teá asked. Seto and Lisa looked at each other. Nobody except a select few people knew that Lisa was living at the mansion, but the circle had to be expanded now.

"I'm living with Seto and Mokuba, and I have been officially for a week now," Lisa answered. The six teens looked at each other and then at the couple. "We haven't done anything, just so your imaginations aren't running wild. We won't until I say so," Lisa said clearly. They all nodded.

Shortly thereafter, the limo was at the back entrance of the hospital, and Seto quickly walked Lisa to the car and got her inside. "You can relax now," he said, helping her sit down and sitting down next to her. "The press didn't catch us, and they won't. But they're going to know about us after this. Are you okay with that, Lisa? Leese..?" He looked next to him when she didn't respond and sure enough, she'd fallen asleep almost as soon as the car had started moving. "I'll get you home and to bed, babe. You're not going to get sick on me."

As soon as they arrived at the mansion, Seto picked up Lisa and carried her inside. She was so exhausted, she didn't wake. He carried her up the stairs and to her bedroom. _I'll get her pajamas. Now what do I put her in?_ He laid her on one side of her bed and opened the covers so when she was in her PJs, he could lay her in the bed and cover her up. _Now for the pajamas._ He walked into the closet and opened one of the drawers. _Absolutely not,_ he thought as he pulled a very revealing nightie from the drawer. He pulled a couple of different nightclothes from the drawer before he found the pair of silk pajamas she'd worn the night Mokuba came down with the flu. _Perfect, and she looks beautiful in this._ He quietly walked back into the bedroom, and gently sat his love up and undressed her. He got her pajamas on her, laid her on the sheets and covered her with the blankets.

_I don't want to leave her…What now, Seto?_ Fortunately at this moment, a maid walked by. "Tzipporah?"

"Yes, Mister Kaiba?"

"Could you please go down to my room and get my pajamas for me? I'll be resting in here."

"Yes, sir," she whispered back. "Is there any particular set you'd like?"

"My dark blue silk."

"Yes, sir, I'll be right back, sir."

Within five minutes, Seto himself was in his pajamas and snuggled under the covers next to Lisa. _I'm not tired,_ he realized, _but I don't want to leave her alone. _He would lay there next to her sleeping form until she awoke, and he'd make sure she was okay when she did.

Y

At Domino Children's, Team Yugi sat in Mokuba's room, talking quietly, though Mokuba's pain medications made certain he wouldn't wake up for anything less than a jet engine's noise. "So how was your photo shoot, Mai?" Teá asked.

"Oh, it was okay. It was for _Duelist Monthly_. They were doing a feature on the female players of Duel Monsters, and it wasn't all that fun. You have someone doing your hair and makeup for two hours, and then change outfits for a few more hours, have people barking orders at you to stand a certain way and teamsters ogling you. It's work," she sighed.

"Doesn't sound like you like it very much," the dancer commented.

"Not really, Teá," she answered. "Oh, Yugi, I met a little girl who said she knows you. Her name was Rebecca, I think, and she thought you were cute…"

"Oh, great," the King of Games groaned softly. "That's Rebecca Hawkins. Our grandpas know each other really well, it turns out and her grandpa was the one who owned the Blue Eyes White Dragon that Seto tore up after he dueled my grandpa."

"Oh, yeah, I heard about that. I also heard yesterday that someone dueled Joey because he was trying to get to Yugi." She looked daggers at Duke, who flinched.

"Mai," Joey said, "I was bein' stupid, and I walked right into a trap."

"Yeah, but Joey, I should've had the guts to challenge Yugi directly. Sorry, man," the black-haired boy said.

"No worries," Joey said, smiling sheepishly.

"I'd better get home," Yugi said, looking at the time. "Grandpa'll need my help with the shop. Why don't I walk you home, Teá? It's on my way."

"Okay. Bye, guys."

Yugi then realized he was still holding his Dark Magician stuffed toy. He gently laid it next to Mokuba, saying, "I think you need this more than I do right now, Mokuba. Take care of it." Yugi and Teá then left, followed by Duke and then Tristan.

"I'm gonna stay put," Joey said softly, and Mai nodded.

"I'll stay, too, then. No sense in him waking up without two people in the room."

"Yeah. Want to move to a better seat?" There was a couch in the hospital room, so they moved to it and sat down.

"How's your sister doing?" Mai asked.

"Doin' okay. I told her about the money and that she and Mom won't have to worry about comin' up with it. She's really happy, judgin' by her last video."

"So where does Serenity live?"

"North Haverbrook. The only way I've seen her in six years is through the videos she sends me."

"How old were you when your mom and sister left?"

"I was nine. Ren hadn't had her eighth birthday yet."

"It must've been hard on you."

_More than I ever want you to know, Mai,_ Joey thought. Out loud, however, he said, "Yeah. I miss Ren a lot and I hate missin' her growing up."

"I was an only child. Mom and Dad never had a brother or sister for me, and I never hung around with other kids," Mai said. She thought, _Maybe someday I'll tell you why I'm really alone, Joseph._

Joey looked at Mai as she said this, and noticed the shadow cross her angelic features. _I wonder what's goin' on with her?_ But he sensed that now was not the time to ask her. The statuesque blonde girl leaned against the teen boy and relaxed. "Mai?"

"Yeah?"

"You okay?"

"Yeah…" Joey put his arm around her and relaxed as he breathed in the scent of her hair, plum and spice.

Y

Lisa stirred feeling pleasantly warm. The last thing she clearly remembered was Seto taking her to the limo. She'd barely been able to keep her eyes open. _I must've fallen asleep in the limo, so where am I?_ She slowly opened her eyes to see she was in her bed at the mansion. She looked down at herself and saw she was in her purple silk pajamas, and then noticed she wasn't alone. _No wonder my pillow was warm. It was Seto's chest!_

"Hi, Lisa. Glad you're finally awake," he said. Lisa pushed herself into a sitting position and Seto did the same.

"Did you..?"

"I just got you into your pajamas and I didn't want to leave you alone. I wouldn't do anything to you. I love you and I respect you too much to try anything."

"I know, honey. How long was I asleep?" she asked as she leaned back against him.

Seto pulled the blanket up so everything below their waists was covered and warm and then looked at the clock. "It's two in the afternoon. You slept about four hours and you don't look so tired. You needed the sleep, Leese."

"Thanks, Seto." She kissed him gently on the lips, and then they relaxed in each other's arms.

"Hey, Lisa?"

"Yeah?"

"How do you think Mokuba's doing?"

Lisa reached out with her senses. "Mokuba's still sleeping, and Joey and Mai are with him. They decided not to leave until we get back."

"I'll be glad when I can tell where my brother is and if he's okay…" His voice caught, and Lisa looked up at him.

"Don't hold them back," she said softly. He let the tears fall, and she held him.

"I haven't cried like this since… Mom died. Then I had to be strong for Mokuba, you know? And I couldn't ever cry in front of… _him._" Lisa realized that Seto was talking about the evil man who'd adopted them. "I also couldn't get sick. If I did, I paid for it after I got well." Lisa grabbed a tissue out of a box on the nightstand and wiped Seto's eyes.

She grabbed more tissues and said, "Just let it out. If it helps you to talk, talk. I won't make you and I won't put myself in a place in your mind you won't willingly share with me. Okay, honey?"

He nodded. "It feels good to talk with you about this."

"Okay."

"When he got drunk and… went after me, no matter how much I struggled, no matter how much I pleaded, he'd still do it. I just got numb after a while. And when he died, part of me was actually glad and wished I'd had the guts to pull the trigger. But I couldn't…" He choked on the last word and Lisa just held him as he began to sob. Lisa knew all too well that the man she loved had held in so much, and she'd known that when the suppressed emotions surfaced he would let them out in a torrent. He was letting it out now, and the young woman held him as he did.

When Seto was able to talk again, he said hoarsely, "But even with all that, what happened yesterday was the worst thing that ever happened to me. I could've lost Mokuba."

"But you didn't, and he'll be okay," she said softly, then sensed something else.

She waited quietly, and then he asked, "Lisa? Are you okay with me not being…I mean, technically, you won't be my first if we…"

"I will be, if we do. That wasn't your choice or your fault, so I think in the eyes of God, you're still a virgin. And in my eyes, you still are." She held his gaze.

"You really mean that," he said softly.

"I do," she answered.

"Then… we'll wait until we're both ready," he said in a stronger voice.

"Okay. I think we need to get up. Mai and Joey are going to need a break. Seto… you're not weak, honey. You okay?"

"I will be." They got up and out of bed. "Leese?"

"Mmhmm?"

"How long will it take for you to get ready to go?"

"Oh, give me half an hour. I'm going to put on a little make-up."

"Okay, I'll be waiting, then."

Lisa headed into the bathroom with her fuzzy lavender bathrobe. _I'll make myself look good and not just for hospital purposes. I want to look good for him. Now where did that come from?_ Lisa hadn't been one to primp or make herself look good to attract attention from guys, though she knew how to look good when she needed to. She got into the shower and let the warm water cascade down her back.

Meanwhile, Seto headed to his bedroom, stripped, grabbed his bathrobe and got into the shower. He scrubbed himself off and after he was clean, let the water run down his body. _It felt right, telling her everything… And I actually feel better. And… I feel better actually having… friends. _He smirked a bit at himself. _Guess being part of the geek squad is better than making fun of it…_ And then, for the first time since he was ten years old, Seto James Kaiba sang in the shower. He sang something by Frank Sinatra, and reflected later that singing something by "Old Blue Eyes" was pretty funny as it was sung by someone who owned three Blue Eyes White Dragons.

Y

At 3:45 PM, Joey Wheeler and Mai Valentine looked up from the couch in Mokuba's room to see Seto and Lisa entering the room. "Hey, guys," Lisa greeted quietly.

"Hi. He's been sleeping since you left," Mai said. "Did you guys get some rest?" Lisa and Seto nodded.

"I've brought the limo around for you two," Seto said, "so you don't have to fight the press."

"Thanks, man," Joey said.

"You two go rest," Lisa said, and then hugged the two blondes. "Thank you."

"Our pleasure, Lisa," Mai said. Lisa sensed something… dark… from both Joey and Mai that she couldn't put her finger on. She frowned inwardly, wishing her sense of them was better.

"Leese?" Seto asked, sitting down and noticing her expression, "What's wrong?"

"I'm sensing something from Joey and Mai; they're hiding something from us and from each other. We'll find out when they're ready. Hey, isn't this Yugi's?" she asked, picking up the stuffed toy, lying next to Mokuba's left arm.

"Yeah," Seto answered, "but why…?" He noticed Lisa smiling.

"Yugi wanted Mokuba to feel better, and this toy's always made Yugi feel better." She noticed him looking at her, a little bit puzzled. "I saw how he was with the toy last night, and how he feels when he holds it is practically embedded in the toy now."

"Oh." And so they sat waiting for Mokuba to wake up again.

While Lisa and Seto sat at Mokuba's bedside, Joey and Mai headed down to the limo. Joey reached the door first, and to Mai's surprise, held the door open for her. She climbed in, and then he climbed into the limo after her.

"Thanks, Joey," Mai said.

"No problem. Bet you're used to riding in limos and having guys like me drive and serve you," he said.

Mai's expression softened. "Not you. You're better than that."

"Am I? I suck at school."

"George Clooney just barely made it out of high school."

"But I'm not George Clooney."

"No, you're not. You're Joseph Wheeler who is one heck of a duelist and beat people with twice your experience to win money to pay for your little sister's eye operation. And I know you're not just being nice to me because you're being paid. You're being nice to me because you're actually my friend, right?"

"Yeah," he said, not able to keep the blush from his cheeks.

All too soon, the limo arrived at Mai's apartment. "Nice place," Joey said admiringly, looking up at the fancy digs.

"Want to come up for a bit?" Mai asked.

"Thanks, Mai, but I can't. Maybe some other time?" he asked hopefully.

"Yeah. Will I see you tomorrow?"

"Yeah, I get out of school a little after three."

"See you tomorrow, then, Joseph."

_She called me by my christened name, _Joey thought, and he liked it. _I'd like to tell her my middle name soon, 'cause I'd like her to know._

Mai rode the elevator to her apartment floor. She walked down the hallway, stepped into her apartment and looked around. It was neat, tidy and tastefully decorated as befitted Mai's outer persona. Outwardly, the world saw Mai Deirdre Valentine as confident, tough and a bit of a loudmouth, she knew. But here, alone… she had memories that made her "weak." Mai relaxed for a bit, had her dinner, took a shower, got her pajamas on and watched TV. Then before she went to bed, she took a couple of sleeping pills. Those pills kept the nightmares at bay for the night.

Meanwhile, Joey was taken back to his apartment four blocks and about a tax bracket away from Yugi's house and about a tax bracket and a half away from Mai's apartment. Joey climbed out of the limo, politely thanked the driver and gently shut the limo door. Like Mai, Joey was perceived one way, but was actually another way. The apartment that Joey shared with his father looked very contrary to Mai's apartment. Instead of a clean carpet, beer cans and takeout boxes littered the living room floor and there were a couple of liquor bottles on the coffee table, as well as a coffee cup that had actually had had coffee in it. _Dad's been busy_, Joey thought, looking at the wreckage. _I'm gone at school and at the hospital for a day and a half…_ _Oh, well._ Joey quickly cleaned up the living room, knowing there'd be agony if he didn't.

Then Joey baked some chicken with mushroom sauce and white rice so he'd have a decent dinner this evening. He did his homework, ate dinner and then cleaned most of the apartment, except his father's room. Jake Wheeler didn't want his son in his bedroom, and Joey knew the consequences of going in there, even to clean. With any luck, Jacob Robert Wheeler wouldn't arrive home until well after midnight and would be too drunk to play "Beating the Puppy," or "Pummeling Joey." _Kai… Seto doesn't know why callin' me a 'snivelin' dog' makes me so mad, but I don't think I want him to know,_ Joey thought as he worked through his geometry homework. He took a shower after dinner, got his pajamas on and went to bed at 10:30. He slept through the night and his father came home after midnight and as Joey had hoped, Jake Wheeler staggered into bed and didn't wake his son.

_I hope you all have been paying attention so far. This alternate timeline I've constructed is rather complicated, I know. This chapter and the next are parts of the same chapter because I doubt any of you would like it very much if I gave you another chapter the size of "The Past Shapes Who We Are." _

_Next time on "The Jedi League of Duelists…" Mokuba wakes up, Seto has some trouble at school and Lisa and Mai talk about girl stuff… Read and review, folks!_


	17. Thursday

Chapter XIII: Thursday

_Welcome to yet another exciting (I hope) edition of _**The Jedi League of Duelists**_. Thanks to Glimerofhope, Invader101 and syrusfanatic12 for their reviews! Wow, thirty reviews! I'm working on a sequel to this story, but it's set in the GX era. The GX kids will be wielding light sabers and doing what the Jedi in this story will do! I'm glad you like the direction I've taken with the characters. I know Seto's personality has majorly begun to change, and I hope it's happened at the right speed for everybody. _

_Last time, Mokuba awoke and revealed a near-death experience. Seto really talked out what had been eating away at him, he and Lisa grew closer, and so did Joey and Mai, though these two haven't even begun to share their deepest secrets. So what's next? Find out!_

_I don't own anything but Lisa and the plot. __**Author's notes, over five years later:**__ I changed the section breaks and some wording. _

Mokuba Kaiba awoke on Thursday morning a little bit disoriented at first. _Where am I?_ He opened his eyes and then remembered. _I'm in the hospital. But where's..?_ Lisa was standing above him.

"Good morning, sweetie. How are you feeling?" she asked softly, checking his pulse, temperature and blood pressure.

"Better. My face doesn't hurt. Where's Seto?" Lisa made some notations on his chart, put it in a holder on his door and moved back to his bed, sitting down.

"He went to school about a half-hour ago, honey. He had to go today."

"Oh. So where is everybody? I thought they were all here…"

Lisa realized Mokuba didn't remember waking up briefly to have some dinner yesterday. He'd been really out of it, she mused. "You were asleep a really long time, Mokuba. You kind of woke up a bit yesterday night to have a little dinner, but I guess you don't remember. Seto and I left for a little bit so I could get some rest, and Joey and Mai stayed until we got back."

"Will everybody come later?"

"I think so. Now, how about some breakfast?"

"Okay." She helped him eat up some oatmeal and drink a glass of orange juice, and then read to him for a little bit. "Lisa?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't you have rounds to make or something?"

"I did them already."

"Okay."

The teen girl and small boy sat reading for a few minutes and then around 10:00, Lisa's cell phone rang. "Lisa?" Mokuba asked. She looked at the caller ID.

"It's Teá," she said, a wrinkle forming in the center of her forehead. "Hello?"

"Lisa, you need to come to Domino High," the girl said, sounding a bit breathless.

"What happened? Is Seto all right?"

"There… was a problem at study hall. We just got him calmed down and to the infirmary."

"Infirmary?! Teá, what the..?!"

"He kind of panicked when a car backfired in the parking lot and he just started freaking…"

"Okay. Tell the school nurse I'll be there as soon as I can."

"Thanks, Lisa. Bye."

"Bye. Mokuba," Lisa said, terminating the call, "honey, I'm going to get George in here to be with you for a little bit, okay?"

"Lisa, what's wrong with Seto?" Mokuba asked, eyes wide with fear.

"Sweetie, he had a panic attack, I think. After what happened Tuesday, I'm not surprised it happened. He'll be okay, and he'll be here in just a little bit."

"He's really okay?"

"He's really okay, sweetheart." Lisa called her friend George in, and quickly left.

Lisa quickly headed downstairs to the hospital's back exit where one of the limos was waiting for her. She quickly hopped in and headed to the high school. When she arrived, Mr. Darby was waiting for her. "Hi, Lisa. He's in the infirmary. Do you know what happened?"

"Teá Gardner filled me in. It sounds as if he had a panic attack. It's not uncommon after such a traumatic event, and a noise can trigger an episode."

"Yeah. So is he out of school the rest of the day?"

"I think that'd be a good idea," she said gently, "otherwise, everyone'll just tease him. He doesn't need that."

"True," Mr. Darby said. "Well, go on in and get him." Lisa walked into the office and Teá was standing outside the infirmary door.

"Hey, Lisa."

"Hey," Lisa said, giving the other girl a hug, "thanks for calling and letting me know."

"No problem, Lisa. He's in there with the guys."

"Gotcha." With that, Lisa stepped into the infirmary. Seto was sitting on the cot, while the other boys sat around him.

"Seto, it happens. Don't be so hard on yourself," Yugi was saying.

"It's not supposed to happen to me, Yugi," Seto muttered. The four boys looked up to see Lisa.

"Hi, Lisa," Yugi said.

"Hey, Leese," Tristan and Joey added.

"Seto?" Lisa asked. "Are you okay?" She would have sat down next to him, but he stood up and hugged her sharply. "It's okay," she said softly, "it's all right."

"This isn't supposed to happen to me," he said softly.

"Why not?" she countered, looking up at him.

"A stupid car backfired and I freaked out." He was clearly embarrassed about it, and Lisa knew she'd have to work with him a bit.

"We'll talk about it in the car. You guys all right?" The three other boys and girl nodded. "Could you guys bring Seto's homework to the hospital after school? He's done for today."

"Sure," Yugi answered, "and we'll be there to visit Mokuba, too."

"Thanks, everybody," Lisa said, and they all said goodbye. Yugi and his three friends quickly headed back to class, escorted by Mr. Darby, while the teen girl and boy headed to the limo.

As soon as they were inside, Seto groaned. "I made a total idiot of myself."

"No, you didn't. Considering what you've been through, honey, I'm surprised it hasn't happened to you sooner."

"It…" He struggled for a minute, and then continued, "It was the other night… Part of me thought Kemo was out there with the gun again… it's so…" Lisa laid her right index and middle fingers to her love's lips to quiet him.

"It's not stupid… Shh…" She removed her fingers and placed her soft pink lips on his. They had a fairly gentle make-out session all the way back to the hospital.

When they pulled up to the hospital, Lisa quickly took a look at herself and straightened her outfit, while Seto did the same. "Oh, great," he groaned, "you left…" There was a pink lipstick smear on his cheek and lips.

"Oh, I can fix that," she remarked, grabbing a tissue and a bottle of water, then wiping the spots and dabbing him dry. "At least we didn't leave hickeys anywhere."

"Right," Seto agreed. "Do we look all right?"

"Yeah. Let's go." They stepped out of the limo and quickly went into the hospital and to Mokuba's room.

To the couple's mutual surprise, George O'Malley wasn't alone with Mokuba. Mai Valentine was sitting and talking with the nurse and little boy. "…Oh, yeah, if it's okay with your brother and Lisa, I'll try to get you that candy."

"Hi, big brother! Hey, Lisa!" Mokuba greeted happily as George and Mai looked up.

"Hi, kiddo," Seto said, moving close to the bed.

"Thanks for keeping an eye on him, George," Lisa said, hugging the older guy.

"No problem, Leese. I've got to go back to the other patients. Funny…"

"What?"

"He kinda reminds me of you."

Lisa smiled at this, and then greeted Mai. "Hey, Mai, what are you doing here?"

"Oh, I was off today and I thought the little guy might be lonesome. Is everything okay?"

Seto sighed, and Lisa said, "He had a rough morning. Mokuba, Seto, I was going to go get some coffee. Mai, would you like to join me?"

"Sure," the older girl answered.

"We'll be back in a bit," Lisa said, giving Mokuba a kiss on the forehead, and Seto a quick peck on the lips.

The girls headed down to the cafeteria on the second floor and Lisa got two cups of coffee. "This stuff is pretty good, even if it's not Starbucks," the teen doctor said.

Mai took a sip and smiled. "It's not bad at all. So George said that you had to go get Seto from school?"

"Yeah, and the poor guy… He had a flashback about the other night. He's okay, but he's a little embarrassed. He shouldn't be, though."

"He's not used to talking much. He always struck me as a really cool customer."

"Have you ever dueled him?"

"No, Lisa. It just never seemed to happen. Do you duel?"

"Oh, no. I learned about the game, though, partly because quite a few of my patients love the game and partly because when I was going to interview for the job at Kaiba Corp, I figured I should know some things about the game. A few of my girl patients think you're pretty cool, by the way."

"Really?"

"Really really," Lisa answered.

"So, what do you do for a job, Mai? I take it you don't attend high school."

"Oh, no," Mai said, laughing a little, "I got my GED when I was thirteen. I got a job with a cruise line when I was fourteen and I've been dueling since then."

"So what do you do on the cruises?"

"I duel, I serve drinks and I'm…" Mai dropped her voice to just above a whisper, "…I'm jail bait."

"Jail bait—?!" Lisa whispered back harshly. "Seriously?!"

"Well, I'm going to be nineteen in November, so not anymore. But I could pass for 25 when I started working there, so that's why they let me have the job. So I've worked for the cruise line for about four years now."

"What about your parents?"

"They've been gone for almost six years, just after I got my GED."

"Mai, I'm sorry." Mai nodded, but Lisa sensed something strange in the other girl's emotions. For now, though, she wouldn't press.

"So, what got you into medicine so young, Lisa?" Mai asked.

"Well, I wanted to help people and I really liked science. And when I dissected a frog cadaver for the first time, I knew I wanted to heal for a living. So I started memorizing _Gray's Anatomy_ when I was four, and I got into UW's pre-med program when I was five. And I was really lucky when I got the job here at Domino Children's last year."

"Do you like living here?"

"Yeah. It reminds me of Seattle in some ways, except I see the Pacific instead of a lake and it's warmer here. But I didn't feel totally at home until just recently." Lisa blushed a little bit at this admission.

"What do you mean?" Mai asked.

"Well… oh, this sounds like that line in _Star Wars: Episode II_!"

"The sand line?"

"Yeah, kind of…"

"Well?"

"You're going to laugh…"

"Try me."

"Well, Lake Washington is the lake near Kirkland and Seattle. I saw it every day except when we had really heavy snowstorms and we couldn't see the other side of the lake."

"Yeah?"

"But on days I saw the lake, the shades of blue were all different. And the first time I met Seto, I saw Lake Washington in March when the wind's blowing on a clear day. Since his eyes have warmed up, they look more like the lake on a windy day in the summer."

"That sounds nice."

"And Mokuba… his eyes are like Lake Washington on a cloudy day with the sun just breaking through and hitting the water. It's a happy sight. I'll bet that sounds pretty corny, doesn't it?"

Mai laughed a little bit and said, "Leese, it may sound a bit corny, but you mean what you said. And you're talking about the two guys you obviously love, and that's really sweet." Then Mai dropped the volume of her voice. "So just how close have you two gotten?"

Lisa understood what Mai was getting at. "We make out, but we're not crossing any lines beyond that. I told him if he wants to be… close, he's going to have to commit."

"Oh. That's good. So what about your powers? Have you always had them?"

"Yeah, since I was a baby. Mom thought she was going nuts until she saw me mentally moving a teddy bear. And then she caught it on tape with my uncle's help. My brother, Eddie, said he got a Jedi for a little sister when Mom and Dad brought me home from Missouri."

"You were born in Missouri?"

"Yeah. And I match being born there because I can be stubborn." The two of them laughed, talked about clothes, movies and shoes.

Meanwhile, back at Mokuba's room, Seto sat looking at his little brother for a long moment. "Seto, what is it?" Mokuba asked.

"Mokie… I wanted to apologize for…"

"Big brother… you already did. And Joey said you shouldn't keep beating yourself up for what happened when I forgave you."

"Yeah, he's a lot smarter than I gave him credit for. I just… Mokuba…"

"Seto, could you come closer?" Seto leaned closer. "Closer than that." Seto leaned so he was leaning right over the little boy, scant inches from his face. Mokuba leaned up and kissed his brother on the cheek. "I love you, big brother."

"Love you too, squirt." Seto kissed his brother on the forehead and ruffled his hair. "I can't hug you because I don't want to hurt you, okay?"

"'Kay. Then I know the first thing I want when I've got my casts on. A hug from you and Lisa."

"What's the second thing you want?"

"A hot fudge sundae."

"Done."

The two brothers talked for a while about school ("Can I got to high school with you, Seto?" "We'll see.") and their friends ("Seto, can I play with Yugi and the guys from now on?" "Okay…"). Seto realized when talking to his brother that he'd missed a lot in the younger boy's life. _I haven't sat down and just talked to him in such a long time… I love just talking to him like this…_ The two boys talked unreservedly about almost anything until Lisa and Mai returned.

"…Why don't I take you shopping, Leese?" Seto and Mokuba heard.

"Here they come, Mokie," the older boy said to his brother.

"…I could make you look like a movie star," Mai was saying.

"Thanks, Mai. I think I'd like that," Lisa said as they entered the room. "Oh, hey, guys. Have fun?"

"Yeah. Mokie and I just talked for a bit," Seto said, helping the girls into chairs.

"I told Seto two things I wanted when I get into casts, Lisa!"

"Yeah, and what are those two things?"

"A hug from you and Seto and a hot fudge sundae."

Lisa looked at Seto, who nodded. "That's exactly what he said, babe."

The teens and little boy chatted for a little bit, and before they knew it, it was lunchtime. "Mai, please join us," Lisa invited.

"Are you sure I'm not intruding?"

"We're positive," Seto answered. "We'd love to have you for lunch. Roland and Bryce are joining us, too. It doesn't make a lot of sense for them to take their lunch breaks away when they've got an hour and get our lunches before they get theirs."

"Oh, okay." And so Mai joined the Kaibas, Lisa and the two security guards for lunch. _This is pretty nice,_ she thought. _I guess it's not bad having friends. I've just got to remember that what happens in the arena stays in the arena._

Y

At ten minutes to 4:00, five (or six, depending on one's point of view) teenagers arrived at Domino Children's Hospital and made their way up to Mokuba Kaiba's hospital room, wrapped in their own thoughts…

Yugi's thoughts… _I hope everybody's okay. Seto sure was upset this morning. If something like what happened to Mokuba happened to Joey, I'd probably start screaming if I heard a noise like a gunshot._

Teá's thoughts… _What a day. I wonder if Lisa was able to calm Seto down. Yugi's been awfully quiet since it happened. He seems okay, but I'm not so sure. I hope Lisa can teach me how to read his mind…both minds._

Yami's thoughts… _I may be 5000 years old, but I can't remember when I felt like this before. If I was Seto, I would probably be having… "flashbacks," I think Yugi called them, and be frightened too. Perhaps I should have sent Kemo to the shadow realm when we learned of his duplicity at Duelist Kingdom, then none of this would have happened._

Tristan's thoughts…_ I wonder if Seto's stopped freaking out yet. I hope Miho isn't following us. She's cute, but she is scaring me… darn fortune teller…_

Duke's thoughts… _I hope everybody's okay. Whoa, that nurse has some hot figure! I wonder if I could get her to be one of my cheerleaders…_

Joey's thoughts… _Man, I never thought I'd see the day when Seto Kaiba'd lose it. But I'm not happy he lost it. Not that way. His bro is his bro, after all…_

And then Joseph Aaron Wheeler's thoughts went a bit hazy. He smelled a scent on the air that he'd first known a few weeks ago; first, over the salty scent of the ocean, and then in the heat of battle and over the smoky scent of a campfire, and finally when he'd lost his hope in the deserted corridor of a fairytale castle. It was…

"Hey, Joey."

"Hi, Mai. What are you doin' here? I thought you'd be at work."

"Oh, I'm off today, and I thought I'd make sure Mokuba wasn't lonely."

"Oh… hi, Moks…" Telltale blush marks appeared on Joey's face but no one teased him.

The kids chatted for a bit, and then Yugi headed to the game shop to help his grandfather mind the store.

"Hey, Yugi?"

"Yeah, Lisa?"

"I'm inviting you and your grandpa to dinner up here this evening. Think you two can make it?"

"Yeah, I think so," he answered. "You sure we're not intruding or anything?"

"I'm sure."

"Yugi, it's okay," Seto said. "I think the least I can do is have you and your grandpa up here for dinner after…"

"Seto?"

"Yeah, Yugi?"

"You already apologized. Stop apologizing."

"I haven't…"

"Grandpa already accepted it." Seto relaxed a little bit, but Lisa could tell he'd be apologizing to Solomon Muto later.

Sure enough, about two hours after Yugi left, he returned with his grandpa in tow. "Hey, Gramps," Joey greeted, giving the old man a hug.

"Hi, Joey. Hello, Teá, Tristan, Mai… Duke. Hi, Mokuba. Hi, Lisa. Hello, Seto." The CEO was hanging back, seemingly trying to hide behind his girlfriend.

_Seto, quit it,_ she sent, _you're acting like a moron._ Seto moved out from behind Lisa, and held his hand out to Yugi's grandfather.

"Hello, Mr. Muto. Um… I just wanted to say…"

"I know, and I also know you were a very troubled boy at the time. I forgive you." Part of Seto wanted to hug the old man, but he hesitated.

Solomon, however, sensed what Seto wanted to do and gave the boy a hug. "It's okay, Seto. It's okay…"

After that, Seto ordered pizza for everyone. Duke requested a side order of jalapeños, saying, "I like 'em. They make me… hot." The girls rolled their eyes. While they waited, Solomon told the kids about his days as an archeologist.

"So you have a doctorate, Mr. Muto?" Lisa asked.

"That's right, and you can call me Solomon, Lisa."

"Okay, then, Solomon. I must say you seem a lot like Indiana Jones from what Yugi tells us."

"Well, I've never found the Ark of the Covenant, the Temple of Doom or the Holy Grail. If I'd found that last, I probably wouldn't have a pacemaker."

"Pacemaker?" Lisa asked, eyebrows raised.

"I wasn't careful about diet, exercise, smoking or alcohol when I was younger and even though I corrected that, I paid a heavy price before Yugi was born." He ruffled his grandson's hair affectionately, while the boy blushed a little.

_**Poot**_! Everyone turned to look at Seto, who'd headed to the bathroom, then returned and had just sat on his chair. He pulled a Whoopee cushion out from under himself and Duke Devlin burst out laughing. "Gotcha, Seto!" he crowed. The brown-haired CEO looked daggers at the other entrepreneur in the room, and Lisa groaned softly. Duke, however, was not done pranking people. When the pizza arrived, Duke made sure he got his jalapeños and pretended to eat them. Then Joey bit into his slice of pizza…

"_**Ah geez! Hot!**_" the blonde boy shouted, grabbing a breadstick and soda. Again, Duke burst out laughing. Joey, once recovered, saw the jalapeño slices on his pizza and then joined in the laughter. Lisa shook her head, and quickly scanned Duke's surface thoughts. She was next.

"Excuse me a minute, I need to take a walk," she said, giving Duke the opening he was hoping for. He sneaked into the small bathroom in Mokuba's room, intending to jump out and scare Lisa when she returned. However, after giving Duke two minutes, Lisa turned around and stealthily made her way back to the room. Duke was so intent on listening for his target that he didn't notice the detachable showerhead changing position and the water turning on. Everyone in the room suddenly heard a yell and water running. Duke burst out of the bathroom, his outfit sporting large wet spots. Lisa strutted back into the room, grinning. Seto knew exactly what had happened.

"You just got soaked, Duke."

"Punked you!" Lisa added. "I win!"

"How did you—?" Duke sputtered.

"I have telekinesis and it's fun to use."

"We have so got to learn how to do that," Teá said, envious.

At 9:30, Mokuba was asleep, and Yugi, his grandfather and their friends went home. Seto and Lisa, meanwhile, settled onto the hospital room couch. "Eventually, we're going to have to leave him here one night by himself with the night guard duty," Lisa said softly, "but I don't think we're ready to do that."

"I couldn't leave him. I hated leaving him at preschool, and after what happened at Duelist Kingdom, I don't want to let him out of my sight if I can avoid it."

"Okay. Are you going to school tomorrow?"

"I really need to. I got my homework done before everybody else got here this afternoon."

"Okay. Tomorrow afternoon, we're going to put his arms and legs in casts."

"All right." Seto put his arm around Lisa and the couple snuggled close under a blanket on the couch and slept.

_Yay! A chapter that's a lot shorter than what I've done the last few times! I hope my attempts at levity were actually funny. I am posting this chapter now since I didn't post Sunday! For those of you who don't know what "the sand line" is in _**Star Wars: Episode II**_, it's the line when Anakin and Padme are at the island hideaway on Naboo, and he says to her, "I hate sand. It's coarse and rough and irritating, and it gets into everything. But it's not like here. Everything here is soft and smooth," and then he brushes her arm. Among Star Wars fans, that's considered one of the most hilarious and pathetic pick-up lines ever! _

_Next on _**The Jedi League of Duelists**_… Training begins! Read and review!_


	18. Dawn of the Jedi Duelists

Chapter XIV: Dawn of the Jedi Duelists

_Hi, loyal readers! I'm sorry it took a bit to put up another couple of chapters. One of the later chapters in the story is going to have to be broken, I think, and I'm trying to figure out where the break will occur. Further, my current set of stories in GX, _**The Sibling Series**_, required some research! Thanks to Invader101 for the review! I'll be posting at least two chapters today for you! _

_It took me a little bit to come up with this title. This chapter may have some definite humor because a whole bunch of kids learning how to do what Jedi do can lead to some humorous situations… Again, I own nothing but Lisa, non-established characters, OCs and the plot. __**Author's note, more than five years later:**__ There were very minor changes this chapter, mostly to the section breaks._

Lisa Angela Hammond and Seto James Kaiba awoke to the ringing of Lisa's cell phone at 6:15 on Friday morning. "What—?" Seto asked, a little bit disoriented.

"Someone's calling." Lisa picked up her phone and answered quietly. "Hello?"

"Leese, it's Joey. Is Seto with ya?"

"Yeah. We're at the hospital with Mokuba," she said quietly.

"Is Seto listening in?"

"Yes, I am," the CEO answered. "What's up, Joey?"

"School's been cancelled. A water main broke near the school, so we can't have class until they fix it, Seto. Some kinda state law."

"Okay. So what's the plan for the day?"

"I was callin' to find out from you two."

Lisa thought a minute. "Okay, why don't you guys come over here in athletic clothes about 9:30? I think today's a good day to start your training."

"You mean…?" Joey's voice was brimming with cautious joy.

"Yup. That sound okay?"

"Yeah… I'll spread the word. See you guys later!"

"Bye, Joey."

"So no school, huh?" Lisa asked.

"Nope," Seto answered. "Why did you tell Joey that we're beginning training today?"

"If you guys have school off today, then it's the perfect time to begin."

"So where can we go?"

"I know a place…"

Over three and a half hours later, Lisa stood in front of seven other teens in Seto's backyard. "All right, everybody. Before we begin… Afraid, are any of you?" she asked in a Yoda-like voice.

"I'm not," Joey answered, seemingly oblivious to the joke.

"Oh… You will be, Joey," Lisa said, leaning in close… "You will be…" Joey fell back on his butt and everyone started cracking up.

And then Joey said, "Away put your weapon! I mean you no harm!" And then everyone laughed until tears were rolling down their faces.

When Seto had control of himself, he said, "I wish Mokie was here for this."

"He'll be able to share in our jokes soon enough," Lisa answered, catching her breath.

"All right, guys, it's a sunny, warm day, so let's start with finding our mental centers. I want everyone to find a spot on the ground and sit down in the lotus position…" That meant everyone sat with their legs folded so their feet were over their thighs. "All right, now. Close your eyes and picture yourselves in a place where you're completely at peace with yourselves. It's different for everyone, so don't expect to be at peace in the same place."

"One question," Duke said. "How does this help us?"

"You best learn how to hear each other's thoughts when you are in your calm centers."

"Okay," he said and nodded. Everyone closed their eyes and took deep, calming breaths. Within fifteen minutes, they each were able to communicate with each other mentally.

_Hey, Teá… _

_Yugi?! _

_Yeah! I can hear you now! _

_Wow…When ballet practice gets boring, I can mentally IM you! _

_Yeah, and when we're all doing homework, we can talk without anyone getting mad that we're hogging the phone or computer!_

_Mai? _

_Joey? Is that you? _

_No, it's Joe Torre… Yeah, it's me!_ Mental laughter… _This is great! We can talk to each other! _

_Yeah, hon, it's pretty awesome. _

_Mai? _

_Yeah? _

_Can I talk with you like this when I'm bored in school? _

Mai thought a minute. _Only when you know the material…_

_What if I don't? Can I cheat off ya?_ Mai looked daggers at Joey. _I'm kiddin', _he sent back quickly, holding his arms up.

_Um, guys, can you hear me? _Duke sent.

"I can hear you," Lisa answered verbally. "Anyone else?" Everybody nodded.

_How about me? _Tristan sent.

"I can hear you," Seto answered, and everyone else nodded.

"Wow. So how do we keep our thoughts from being broadcast?" Yugi asked. Yami, Lisa had quietly noted, was keeping quiet.

"Okay, now this is where it gets a little more difficult. I want to help you each learn how to mentally protect yourselves. Yugi, you had trouble with that at Duelist Kingdom, right?"

"Yeah, we… Yami and I… both did."

"So Pegasus really did read our minds," Seto said.

"What?" Duke asked, nonplussed.

"Duke," Yugi said slowly, "I know you're not going to like hearing this, but the fact is…" Yugi quickly explained what had happened at Duelist Kingdom, and Seto confirmed it. "He could see my cards and there was no way to fight him…"

"But then how did you win?" Duke asked Yugi.

"Well, Yami and I switched so Pegasus didn't know because I didn't know what card Yami played and Yami didn't know what card I played. That's what helped us win. Pegasus kinda knocked me out when we were in the shadow realm…"

"So that's how he won against me." Duke seemed pretty upset at this revelation. "My idol cheated. That really sucks."

Lisa moved over to Duke and laid her hand on his shoulder. "Look, Duke, at some point, you're going to have a conversation with him and he's going to have to come clean with you. He did keep his word, so we can start with that. Anyway, I want everyone to picture some kind of barrier around your thoughts. When I figured this out, I found it easy to picture something that needed a barrier around it. I used the starship Enterprise getting its shields up, myself." Within thirty minutes, everyone was able to shield their thoughts from each other and share what they wanted.

"So when do we break out the light sabers?" Joey wanted to know.

"Not for a while," Lisa answered. "Seto, is the equipment ready?"

Seto had had some of the staff bring out a gymnastics springboard. "Yup. Leese, is this all right?"

Lisa took a look. "Perfect. All right everyone… Let me demonstrate…" She ran on the ramp, bounded on the springboard, virtually flew through the air and landed perfectly on a mat. "That's one thing you learn to do while concentrating on your connection with your powers. Without my powers, I'd fall on my butt. So, think about yourselves flying through the air, **nothing else**, and you should be able to do this… Who wants to go first?"

Yugi safely tucked his Millennium Puzzle safely beneath his shirt and raised his hand. "I'll try it." The boy with hair shaped like a sea anemone stepped to the approach ramp.

"Start off at a run and think of nothing but the joy of flying," Lisa said.

"All right," Yugi answered.

_"Wipe Out" by the Surfaris_

Yugi ran down the strip toward the springboard. _I wonder what Teá will look like flying through the air…? _

Yami tried to remind Yugi of what he was doing… _Yugi, aibou, concentr-!_ Too late. Yugi landed on the springboard, launched into the air, and landed on his stomach, knocking the wind out of him.

Then Joey attempted the jump and also crashed to the mat. "What was it?" Lisa asked, eyebrow raised.

"Uh…" Joey, Lisa could easily tell, had been thinking about Mai. And now, so could Mai.

"I distracted you? Joseph, I'm flattered," Mai grinned.

Next came Tristan who managed to do the flying Force leap perfectly! "Ta-dah!" he said, smiling.

"Nice job!" Lisa congratulated the boy with the sharply pointed hair. "Next victim!" Duke followed, but landed on his butt as he was distracted by thoughts of his band of cheerleaders. And then Seto attempted the leap, but failed because he was thinking of how beautiful Lisa looked in her outfit (a gymnast's black leotard and bright pink shorts, along with matching black and pink sneakers). He was sitting on his butt on the mat when Lisa held out her hand to him and helped him up.

"You're too distracting," he said.

"You're very distracting yourself," she answered, "so do what I do; just think of a blank screen."

"Got it."

Mai and Teá, of course, jumped, flew and landed perfectly. "Excellent. Guys, let's try it again, those of you who didn't do it the first time." Yugi tried again and did it triumphantly, followed by Joey ("Who da _**man**_?!"). Duke flew and landed perfectly, but Seto again found himself distracted thinking about his beloved.

"Lisa, I need to talk to you privately," he said, looking a bit angry. He'd raised his shields to everyone, but Lisa, of course, could tell something was up. He walked her into the house… and kissed her hard, holding her tightly.

_Oh my gosh, _Lisa thought as she felt his lips on hers and his hands running up and down her back.

"I'm sorry, Leese," he whispered urgently, "but I couldn't…"

"I know," she breathed, reveling in the feeling the physical contact was causing, "but we can't go too much into this right now."

"I know," he whispered, "I'm sorry, but I just needed to be a little bit closer to you." They pulled away from each other a bit reluctantly.

"Are you ready to try again?"

"Third time's the charm," the teen CEO answered his love and teacher.

Seto took a deep breath as he walked out of the house, Lisa at his side. Everyone was smiling, having figured out what must've happened.

"All right," Seto said, eyeing the path and springboard, "I'll do it this time." And he did, thinking not of a blank screen, but of Lisa and Mokuba flying at his side and flipping with him. He landed gracefully, feet first on the mat as if he were an Olympic gymnast. "How was that?" Everyone clapped.

"Nice job, Kai… I mean Seto," Yugi said, blushing at the slip.

"Yugi, if an occasional 'Kaiba' slips out, I'm not going to get mad. After all, that is what you called me for so long," Seto said gently.

Lisa checked her watch. "Okay, guys, I think we need some lunch."

"But aren't we gonna…?"

"Joey, you guys aren't ready for the big stuff. Besides, patience… For the Jedi, it is time to eat as well. Then we have to get back to the hospital. I've got to help set Mokuba's arms and legs."

The kids all were quiet when Lisa brought up what she had to do with Mokuba. "Is there anything we can do to help?" Joey asked.

"As a matter of fact, yes. You're all going to send him calming thoughts and reassurance while I'm doing the setting, because it is going to hurt."

"How bad?" Yugi asked.

"It depends on Mokuba's tolerance for pain. It may not hurt him a lot, or it'll feel really bad…" They talked about that and other subjects all through lunch.

Y

At 4:45 that afternoon, after a few hours of game play and Mokuba learning how to read everyone, Lisa had to set Mokuba's injured arms and legs. "Okay, sweetie, take some deep breaths. This is going to hurt."

Mokuba nodded and Seto laid his hand on Mokuba's right shoulder. _Just hang in there, kiddo. We're all here,_ the older boy sent.

Everyone sent similar messages of comfort to the little boy, and Lisa quickly raised her mental shields so she could help Mokuba. "Here we go," she said softly and began setting the damaged bones. Mokuba held it in as best he could on the right arm, but when Lisa got to his left arm, he whimpered.

"It hurts, Lisa," he said, tears in his blue-gray eyes.

"I know, angel," Lisa said, hating to hurt him but knowing she had to cause pain to help him recover. Mokuba took another deep breath and reached out to his friends and brother for reassurance. After about twenty minutes, Lisa stood up from Mokuba's right leg. "All done, sweetheart," she said gently.

"Glad that's over," the little boy said, looking a little pale but okay.

"You were very brave, Mokie," Seto said, squeezing Mokuba's shoulder.

"Okay, Mokuba, now we're going to put the casts on," Lisa said. "Jayda? We're ready."

Doctor Jayda Yuki had been standing outside the door waiting for Lisa to finish setting Mokuba's bones. _If that were Jaden, I don't know if I could've done it, _she thought, picturing her two-year-old son. _I know he'd like the fiberglass casts, though. God help me if he sees these; he might just __**try**__ to break a bone!_ With that pleasant thought, Jayda entered the room with the casting equipment.

"Are you all ready, Lisa?"

"You bet. Mokuba, you remember Dr. Yuki, right?"

"Yeah. You're a pediatric oncologist, right?"

"That's right. Most little boys your age would probably call me a 'cancer doctor,' but Lisa tells me you're pretty smart."

"Yeah, but I'm not as smart as Seto," he answered.

"I might disagree with that," Lisa said.

"So would I," added Seto.

"Okay, Mokuba, we have a few different choices for the fiberglass. They just came out with casts in Duel Monsters, so you broke arms and legs at just the right time… Well, there's no right time…"

"But I'll look cool," Mokuba said, with a little smile. "So what monsters do you have?"

"Well," Jayda said, picking up a tray with pieces of fiberglass, "we have Celtic Guardian, Dark Magician, Petite Angel, Blue Eyes White Dragon, Red Eyes Black Dragon, Harpy's Pet Dragon, Curse of Dragon, Flame Swordsman, Fire Sorcerer, Harpy's Lady and Baby Dragon."

"Um… Can I have a different monster for each cast?" Jayda and Lisa looked at each other, and then nodded to Mokuba.

"What would you like, Moks?" Lisa asked.

"I want Blue Eyes for my right arm, Curse of Dragon for my left arm, Red Eyes for my right leg, and Harpy's Pet Dragon for my left leg."

"I can guess why you chose the Blue Eyes, pumpkin," Lisa said as she and Jayda put some sock-like material on Mokuba's arms and legs, "but why the other monsters?"

"Well, do you remember when you found me with the guys?" Lisa nodded. Mokuba quickly explained what had happened in the video game (the doctor looked at Joey, realizing he'd gladly taken a virtual bullet for the little boy that meant so much to her and Seto), concluding, "I wanted to do something since there are four people who saved me."

"Okay, honey, that's awfully sweet," Lisa said as she and Jayda wrapped gauze over the sock-like material.

"I was just thinking, Lisa, that Jaden might actually try to break something if he knew there were casts like this."

"Jaden?" Yugi asked.

"Oh, Jaden's my little boy. He's two and he already is well aware of Duel Monsters."

"Maybe I'll meet him sometime," the King of Games said.

It didn't take too long for the two doctors to finish placing casts on Mokuba. By 6:15, the little boy's casts were dry and as comfortable as casts get. Lisa helped him to eat a little dinner, and he was asleep by 7:00, due to the pain medication. On this night, the members of the group elected to head home for dinner, so Seto decided to ask Lisa what he'd wanted to ask her on Tuesday night.

"Lisa, why don't we go out to dinner tonight, just the two of us?"

"Seto?"

"I wanted to have a dinner out with the three of us, but why don't we just go out as a couple?"

"Okay," she answered in a higher octave.

_Cliffhanger, dears… Seto has something on his mind that he wants to ask Lisa… no, it's not __**that**__ question! They're not ready for that yet. Seto wants to ask her something else. This is Lisa's first true encounter with the paparazzi. Next Chapter… "Meet the Hammonds…" Read and review!_


	19. Meet The Hammonds

Chapter XV: Meet the Hammonds

_Greetings again, fellow fans! Okay, so the would-be Jedi have finally begun their training. Lisa's glad to know she is no longer alone in her powers, and the other kids are thrilled to learn of their own gifts and use them. Mokuba now has casts on, and Seto has elected to take Lisa to dinner, just the two of them. But he has a question to ask Lisa… What's going to happen? Just stay tuned, and I'll show you (Kudos to anyone who gets this in-joke and tells me where it came from)!_

_**Author's notes, some time later:**__ Very few changes this chapter. And as usual, I don't own the Yugiverse._

It was after 7:00 on Friday night and Mokuba was sound asleep after his casts had been placed on his arms and legs. "Guess he'll have to wait for the hot fudge sundae and our hugs," Seto said softly, looking at his sleeping brother.

"He may be awake when we get back," Lisa Hammond whispered softly as they stepped out of the room.

"So, is there anywhere you'd like to go for dinner, Leese? I've got standing reservations at a few places."

"Seto, are you sure you want to do this?" she asked, looking a bit nervous.

"I'm sure. You're scared, aren't you?" It was time for Lisa to admit one of her fears to her boyfriend, and she felt pretty silly.

"I'm nervous about the photographers."

"It's all right," he soothed. "We'll have Bryce and a couple of security guards with us and I'll see about getting us a more secluded table."

Lisa relaxed a little bit at this. "Oh, we'll need to change!"

The two teens went back to the Kaiba mansion and changed their outfits. Seto changed into tan slacks with a dark blue sweater, while Lisa changed into a pair of black ballet flats, skin-colored pantyhose, a pleated jean skirt and a sky blue long-sleeved T-shirt. "You're wearing a skirt," Seto commented.

"Do you like it?" Lisa asked.

"Yeah. You just don't wear them too often and I like the change. Why tonight?"

"If we're going to go into battle, I want to be dressed for the occasion."

"Battle?"

"With the paparazzi, love is a battlefield."

"Touché," the teen multi-billionaire said, saluting his love and walking with her to the car. "So..?"

"Oh… well, I'd like to go to that new Emeril LaGasse restaurant, Chez BAM!, if we could."

"All right, then…"

At 8:15, the limo arrived at Chez BAM! and the teen couple was besieged by paparazzi as soon as they exited the car. "_**Mr. Kaiba! Are you and this lovely young lady—**_?"

"Miss Hammond, are you and—?"

"Is this a date?!"

"Just ignore them," Seto whispered. Lisa, very nervous, took several deep breaths to keep from becoming dizzy and giving the reporters and paparazzi something to talk about.

She squeezed Seto's hand and sent, _I'm really nervous, honey. _

_It's okay, _he sent back, _you'll be all right. We'll be all right._ In a few minutes, it was over and the maître de led the two to a table hidden away where the press couldn't get close. Bryce and the other security officers were outside, keeping the press at the doors.

"Are you okay?" Seto asked gently when they were seated and sipping water.

"Yeah, I'm okay," Lisa answered. "I just hate all the attention. I never really liked press conferences. How do you put up with it?"

"I just do," he said, "and it's easier in some ways with you to do it with me."

"Really?"

"Really really," he answered, taking her hand and squeezing it gently. "We could just have a normal press conference or have my publicist make a statement…"

"Okay, Seto. Honey, I trust you and I know you'll do what's right for us on this." Seto looked up and she could feel him scanning her.

"You really do trust me," he said, awed. She nodded and he could see the love in her eyes.

They ordered their dinners and Seto decided now was the time to broach a rather delicate subject. "Lisa, I've been thinking…"

"Mmhmm?"

"I'd like to meet your family." Lisa looked up from her flame-BAM pork chops and vegetables in surprise and shock.

"You… you would?"

"You're surprised?" he asked, looking at her carefully.

"Yeah. It's just really serious when a guy wants to meet his girlfriend's parents, isn't it?"

"What if it is?" he asked, keeping his focus on her emotions and thoughts.

"I'm okay with that. Who do you want to meet?"

"Let's start with your mom, dad and brother," he said, cutting another piece of filet mignon for himself. "Think we could make it happen this weekend?"

"This weekend?" she asked. "That soon?"

"Yeah, I can fly them down on the Gulfstream. What is it?"

"Oh, Daddy works on the weekend at Nordstrom, and I don't know if he could take the time off."

"What if I arranged it so he wasn't exactly taking time off?"

"You can do that?" Seto smirked as he commonly did when confronted with fan girls, idiots and dumb situations.

"I **am **Seto Kaiba, Leese, and I can do just about anything. Besides," he added, smiling normally, "I know it'll be good for Mokie, too. He loves your mom and dad already."

Y

On Saturday morning, Seto Kaiba first placed a call to Lisa's parents. "Hi, Gigi," he said. "Yeah, Mokuba's doing a lot better. Lisa got his casts on him yesterday… Oh, yeah, I'm doing okay. Your daughter would have a fit if I didn't get some rest. I forgot what it was like to get a decent night's sleep… Oh, she has, too, even here at the hospital… Listen, um… I was wondering if you, Darren and Eddie would like to come down to Domino tomorrow… Oh, I'll send the jet up and you three can fly here… Oh, it's no trouble… Darren won't have to take time off… leave it to me… Okay, I'll have a limo sent to your house about ten AM, if that's okay… Great! See you tomorrow afternoon." Mokuba tugged on his sleeve. "Oh, Mokuba wants to say hi…" Seto handed the cell phone to his little brother and while Mokuba jabbered away, the teen couple talked.

"Your dad is bringing me down a pair of shoes. I have my connections and I'm going to use them, Lisa."

"Okay. Man, I go from having no boyfriend to having a boyfriend who is one of the most powerful teenagers on Earth!"

"You better believe it, babe."

Mokuba handed the phone back to his brother and said, "They're really coming, big brother?!"

"Yes, Mokie, they are. Is that okay?"

"Yeah!"

Later that day, the team showed up. "…So your folks are comin' down?" Joey asked.

"Yup, and knowing my mother, she'll want to meet all of you. As for you guys, you'll like my brother. Eddie's a lot cooler than me."

Teá frowned. "Lisa, stop dissing yourself. You're a good person."

"Yeah, it's just Eddie's always better at having friends, he's not a klutz and he's got a more fun personality."

"Lisa, what did I just say? So what? You're our friend, and I know I like you a lot!"

Lisa regarded the graceful dancer for a moment, then said, "No wonder everybody calls you Friendship Girl."

"You know it!"

"Yeah, Leese," Mai added, "we like you even when you're a pain in the neck." Lisa fake pouted, and everyone laughed.

Y

On Sunday morning, in a house in Kirkland, Washington, Gigi Hammond was helping put the finishing touches in her twenty-year-old son's suitcase. "Mom, we're only gone until tomorrow night," Eddie said. He was a very handsome young man with clear olive skin, hazel-brown eyes, brown hair and a muscular body that made him look like a professional athlete.

"Well, you need your suit and some casual wear, Eddie. Lisa's boyfriend may take us to a fancy restaurant. We want to do whatever we can so Lisa's comfortable, too."

"Okay, okay," Eddie relented. He'd worried about Lisa and how just plain nerdy she was. Eddie loved his sister very much, but the fact remained she wasn't exactly the most social person on the planet. Now, she had to become somewhat social in the public eye.

Meanwhile, Darren Hammond was also packing his suitcase. The six-foot-three-inch tall man tossed in underwear, his jeans, casual slacks, some tops and his suit so he had the right amount of clothing for the next day or so. He put the pair of shoes he was taking to Seto in another bag, and walked into the bedroom where his wife was fussing over her stuff.

"Darren, do I have anything that'll work?"

"Geege, you have lots of good clothes. Here, take this for dressing up," he said, pulling a pretty red pants suit that Lisa had bought for her mother. "Just relax, lover," he said, pulling her into a hug. "Lisa's probably pretty worked up, so she doesn't need us worked up, too."

At 10:00 that morning, a limousine pulled up to the Hammond household. A man came and helped Gigi down the outside steps into the car, and another man helped with everyone's luggage. Eddie was a bit awestruck at the money and power his baby sister's boyfriend had, but didn't let it show outwardly. The family went to Renton's Boeing Field and was loaded into a fancy jet plane.

"I never thought I'd ride in one of these unless one of you kids became rich or President of the United States," Darren said, clearly impressed. They each took a seat, and the plane was soon in the air.

"Dad, how serious do you think Lisa is about Seto?" Eddie asked, a little brotherly over-protectiveness seeping into his tone.

"Well, Eddie, I think they're pretty serious and I wouldn't be surprised if something happened."

"So basically we could be meeting Lisa's future husband and brother-in-law."

"Darren, they're only fifteen," Gigi pointed out.

"Yeah, fifteen going on thirty, honey. I wonder if they're completely compatible."

Meanwhile, back in Domino City, Lisa, Seto and Mokuba enjoyed their Sunday breakfast and lunch together. And as the time to go to Domino Airfield drew near, Lisa got nervous.

"Babe, are you okay?" Seto asked.

"Seto, it isn't every day that a girl has her boyfriend meet her family. It also is more unheard of that said boyfriend flies said family down to meet him on a Gulfstream jet that rich people use. I am rather nervous right now," the teen girl admitted, looking very nervous, indeed.

"Lisa?" Mokuba piped up. "It's okay. It's not like Seto's a space alien or something."

"Mokie," Seto asked, "do you understand why Lisa's so nervous and why I might be kind of nervous?"

"Because you guys are actually pretty serious about each other." Seto and Lisa each got the anime-style "What on Earth?" look on their faces. "I mean it's pretty obvious. You're living with us, Lisa, and Seto, you wouldn't have asked her to move in unless you really liked her. You didn't exactly like doctors before she came, remember?" Mokuba finished. The teens flushed slightly at this.

"Well," Lisa said, "I guess we are pretty serious." Seto nodded in agreement.

"We've got to get going," Seto said, glancing at the clock. "Mokie, will you be okay here alone for a little bit?"

"Yeah, Seto, I'm okay." Just then, Joey Wheeler walked into the room.

"Hey, guys."

"Joey, did you just come from church?" Lisa asked. The blonde boy was wearing a medium brown threadbare suit with a white dress shirt, tan tie and black dress shoes.

"Yeah," he answered, "I was at Mass at St. James. Hey, Moks."

"Hey, Joey."

"So are your parents here yet, Leese?"

"They'll be landing at Domino Airfield in an hour. We figured we'd better get going in case they're early. There are some snacks here for you."

"Thanks, Leese. Don't worry, Seto, Lisa's parents are probably cool," he said, flashing the other boy the victory/peace sign. The teen couple gave Mokuba hugs and kisses and headed to their limo.

Joey, as soon as Lisa and Seto were out of earshot, asked, "Are they excited?"

"Nervous. But I'm excited."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

_Oh, boy…Oh, boyohboyohboyohboy…_ Lisa was beginning to panic. She leaned over so her head was level with her knees.

"Lisa, it's okay," Seto said, placing his hand on her back and gently rubbing. She sat up and he hugged her to him. "Relax, Leese. Is there anything I should know about?"

"They're going to ask some questions about us."

"Well, I can guess the obvious. Fortunately, to the question your dad would kill me for if I answered 'yes,' the answer is no. What are the other questions?"

"They'll ask if you're religious at all."

"I wasn't sure if God existed, but when you came, I changed my mind."

"And then they'll want to know if we're politically compatible."

"We like the same party."

"Yeah, but they're going to want to know if I'll do to you what I did to a professor at UW when I was five."

"What did you do?"

Lisa blushed. "Well… Seto, I was five at the time!"

"What. Did. You. Do?"

"I called a professor a poo-poo head because she wasn't being fair to a student who disagreed with her. The professor didn't agree with the student because the student supported former President Bush and also was a guy. I stood up to defend the guy and argue in his favor, but the professor said I was too little to understand their argument, and I got mad. So I said, 'I understand perfectly, Dr. McKinney, because you are a poo-poo head.'"

Seto started to laugh. "You actually called her a poo-poo head!"

"I was five at the time, honey! Needless to say, I got sent to the dean's office, but I could prove I was provoked. That professor got a dressing-down for engaging in reverse sexism, and she behaved the rest of the semester."

"I'll add that to the reasons of why I love you," he said seriously, pulling her into a strong kiss. "We're politically compatible, babe. Only one thing, though."

"Yeah?"

"How did your parents react to me taking care of you when you were so sick?"

"I think they fell in love with you then. My brother might be a little overprotective, but I think he's going to like you. You used to play soccer, right?"

"Yeah."

"Good."

The couple arrived at Domino Airfield at 2:15 PM, and the plane landed at 2:30. Lisa's parents and brother looked out the windows to see daughter and sister for the first time since Christmas, and this time she was standing in front of a limo with a young man with ruddy brown hair. "Oh, doesn't he look handsome?" Gigi commented. Some airport workers placed rollaway stairs at the door of the plane, and Lisa's family exited the plane.

"Hi, Mom! Hi, Dad! Hey, Eddie!" Lisa yelled, practically tackling her family and getting hugs and kisses.

"How are you, Peachy?" Gigi asked. "You look so happy!"

"Yeah. Oh, I guess I have someone to introduce you to. Seto, c'mon over. Seto, this is my dad, Darren, my mom, Gigi and my brother, Eddie. Mom, Dad, Eddie, this is Seto Kaiba, my boyfriend." Seto came over to shake hands and found himself enveloped in hugs by the three Hammonds.

"We're so glad to meet you finally, honey," Gigi said.

"Thanks," Seto said, flushing a bit under the attention.

"Guys, go easy on him, please?" Lisa asked. "Oh, I'll have to introduce you to all our friends, too. Yes, Eddie, I actually have friends who are like me!"

Lisa, her family and Seto piled into the limo and a gentleman put the Hammonds' luggage into the trunk. "So how was your flight?" Seto asked, not entirely at ease with Lisa's family. _Babe, _Seto sent nervously.

_Honey, it's okay, _Lisa sent. _My family loves you already. _

_I'm not really used to this, _he sent back.

_Mom and Dad'll ease off. Eddie'll talk your ear off about sports. It'll be fine. _

_Gotcha, _he sent back.

"You look tired, Leese," Eddie said. "Are you okay?"

"It's been a long few days, Eddie. And Friday I had to set Mokuba's bones. So emotionally, it's been kind of rough." Seto sat back and listened more than he talked.

A part of him realized how he envied Lisa her happy family and childhood, but then he realized, _I want to be part of this. _He wasn't ready to ask Lisa to marry him yet because he wanted to get to know her family first. So after tomorrow, he would know what he wanted in his and Lisa's relationship.

"So where are we heading first?" Darren asked.

"The hospital. One of our friends is keeping Mokuba company," Seto said. "After that, we can go to the mansion and you guys can freshen up."

"Mom, I have got to show you the kitchen!" Lisa said.

"Is it like you've always wanted, sweetie?"

Lisa gave Gigi a huge grin. "Are you kidding? It's great! And then you've got to see my bedroom and bathroom!"

"Sounds like you've gotten something you wanted, Peacher," Darren said seriously.

"Peacher?" Seto asked.

"Oh, 'Peaches' or variants thereof, was my childhood nickname," Lisa explained. "My Grandma Hanson was the one who started it. She died when I was two." Lisa grew quiet for a minute and Seto knew without touching her emotions that this upset her.

_Leese? _he sent softly.

_I wish I could've saved her,_ she sent back sadly.

The conversation, despite the downer, remained light all the way to the hospital. When the little group got to the hospital floor that Mokuba was on and heard, "_**I'm da man**_!"

"_**No, I'm da man**_!" Lisa's parents and brother looked at her and Seto, who quickly scanned the room's occupants.

"I'll handle this," Seto said quietly. He walked commandingly into Mokuba's room with his trademark smirk and said in his once-common creepy voice, "If anyone is da man, it's me." Lisa and her family followed Seto into the room and joined in the resulting laughter.

"Hey, guys! I'd like you to meet my family," Lisa said. She introduced everyone, and then Darren held up a duffel bag.

"Mokuba, we brought something for you. I hope it's okay." And he pulled a very large teddy bear from the duffel and handed it to the little boy.

"Wow! Thank you!" Mokuba ended up hugging the teddy bear while everyone talked.

Two hours later, everyone but the Hammonds and the Kaibas left the hospital room for the day. "Why don't we order some dinner and have it brought up?" Seto said.

"Can we do that?" Gigi asked. "What do you kids recommend?"

"Do you still like Thai food, Mom?"

"Yeah, Lisa. Is there a good restaurant around here?"

"Yeah. They even have that fried garlic chicken that you like, Mom." And so they ordered Thai food.

"Mokuba, can I give you a hug?" Gigi asked. Mokuba nodded and took the given hug.

"You know what, Gigi?"

"What, sweetie?"

"I know why Lisa's so nice. You're nice."

"Well, thank you. Lisa, Seto, you've sure got some nice friends." And then Seto, Darren and Mokuba started to talk about sports, while Gigi and Lisa walked to an empty waiting room.

"So, Lisa, it seems you're really involved with Seto," the mother tried to say casually.

"Mom, if you're worried about me and Seto getting too close too fast, we haven't. I told him when we started dating that I'd only be intimate with the man I was going to marry."

"That's good, honey, but you are a teenager."

"Mom…"

"And if you do decide to get close without committing, I hope you know how to be safe."

"_**Mom**_! I am an MD, for heaven's sake! Of course I know about that!" Lisa may have been an MD, but she was still, as her mother observed, a teenager. She was certainly blushing like one. "Look, Mom, I know you trust me and you trust Seto. We can't go there quite yet, anyway. We're taking this slow. I'll tell you more when we're at the mansion, but I can't tell you a lot here."

"Okay, honey."

The mother and daughter headed back into Mokuba's room. "…Seto played forward-wing when he was my age, and now I'm playing center-forward. The week before I got hurt, I got to play goalie, but I won't be playing the rest of the season and that really sucks," Mokuba was saying.

"Well, I like playing forward too, Mokuba. Maybe sometime I can show you how to do bicycle kicks," Eddie offered.

"Whoa, nobody on my team can do that!" Mokuba said, awestruck. Seto was sitting in a chair next to his brother, and Eddie was sitting on the other side of the bed, while Darren was sitting at its foot.

Darren noticed his wife and daughter entering the room and observed, "Looks like Eddie's found a fan."

The food arrived a few minutes later, and the two families ate well. "Come on, Mokuba, try to eat a little more pad thai," Gigi said as she coaxed the little boy to eat another bite.

"Thanks, Gigi, I'm full," Mokuba said after eating that last bite.

"All right, angel. Would you like me to fluff your pillows?"

"Yes, please." Gigi fluffed the pillows and wiped Mokuba's mouth, then helped Lisa position his arms and legs, as well as his blankets. Lisa gave the little boy his evening dose of painkillers and muscle relaxers, and he drifted off to sleep.

"This is the first night we've left him here," Lisa said softly, as Seto gently embraced her.

"Lisa?" Jayda Yuki just happened to be walking by. "Did I hear you right?"

"Oh, hi, Jayda," Lisa said, "you remember my parents and my brother."

"Darren, Gigi, Eddie, sweet to see you again! What are you doing in town?"

"We're here to meet my daughter's boyfriend," Darren said.

"And what do you think?" Jayda asked with a wry smile on her face.

"I don't have to kill him," Darren answered, smiling back.

"So are you actually leaving the hospital tonight and coming back tomorrow morning?"

"Jayda, Seto and I just hate to do it," Lisa said, looking tenderly at the sleeping boy.

"Well, don't worry. I'll sit with him. I'm on call. Besides, how often have you sat with Jaden?" Lisa smiled, remembering the time she had had to sing to Jaden Kiyo Yuki to sleep for nearly two hours.

"It's always fun with Jaden. Thanks for doing this, Jayda."

"No problem, Lisa. You go have fun with your family and boyfriend." Lisa gave Jayda a hug, and the five people left.

"So this is the first night you've left him?" Darren asked.

His daughter and her boyfriend nodded. "We haven't wanted to leave him, Daddy," Lisa said, "after…"

"We saw it on the news, honey," Gigi said softly.

"You have to leave them for a bit sometimes," Darren said. "It's hard to do it, but it's got to be done. Lisa told us that you've pretty much raised your little brother, Seto."

"Yeah, I did."

"You've done a really good job with him. He seems like a happy, loving little boy."

"Thank you, Darren," Seto said softly.

A few minutes later, the group arrived at the mansion. "Whoa, nice place," Eddie said, sauntering out of the car, his hazel-brown eyes taking in the scene admiringly.

"My goodness, what a lovely house!" Gigi added.

"Wait until you see the inside, Mom," Lisa grinned. Together, the five walked into the house, and predictably, Lisa's family was impressed.

"I think we have the same decorating taste, Seto," Gigi commented.

"I can't take credit. I let an interior designer go nuts and I liked the effect."

Lisa and Seto led her family up to their rooms, and Lisa and her mother went to Lisa's room to talk. "So, Lisa, you said there was something about Seto you didn't want to talk about at the hospital…"

"Yeah. He's already talked about it to the group, and what he told me might make you a little bit edgy. Mom… oh, this is hard."

Gigi sat down on the purple-covered bed with her daughter and put her arm around her. "Sweetie, you can tell me anything…"

Lisa took a deep breath, let it out, and said, "He was abused when he was younger, Mom. It wasn't his biological dad that did it, though. His dad suffered from depression and ended up taking his own life when Seto wasn't quite eleven and Mokuba'd just turned four, and then they were in that orphanage for a year. And then…"

Lisa clenched her teeth and Gigi knew from long experience that her daughter was simultaneously sad and angry. "And then, they were adopted by that monster! He beat Seto and worked him day and night, and when he got drunk enough, that thing…" Lisa couldn't talk for a minute.

"Lisa, are you saying Seto was… Oh, Jesus, why do these things happen?" Gigi half-prayed, hugging her daughter close.

Lisa nodded. "Seto won control of the company from _him_ when Seto was thirteen, and then that thing didn't take it too well. He killed himself right in front of Seto, and it… did damage. But Seto and Mokuba made it through together and Seto finally is coming back to himself. He told me today that when I came into his life, he no longer doubted God's existence."

"He doubted that?"

"After what he went through, I'm not surprised he did. I've questioned from time to time why little kids suffer. But Mom, I haven't been through the hell Seto and Mokuba went through, and Seto shielded Mokuba from the worst, just like a good parent tries to do."

"Lisa, sweetie… do you love him?"

"I do, Mom."

"And I can tell by the way he acts, he loves you too, and wouldn't hurt you. I know you're young, but if you choose him, I'm happy for you."

"Thanks, Mom." Then Lisa sensed something. "Seto?"

"Lisa, what's wrong, honey?"

"Something's going on with Seto…" The two women left the room and headed down the hall to Seto's room. The sight that greeted their eyes was Eddie, sitting on the bed and Darren holding Seto in a hug.

"Leese," Darren said softly.

_Seto? _Lisa sent, _Honey, what happened? _

Seto, still in Darren's bear hug, sent back, _I told them everything, babe. And your dad talked to me like my dad did._ Lisa came behind her love and hugged him too. He finally broke from Darren's strong hug and turned into Lisa's. He was clearly crying, and the three Hammonds elected to let their daughter and her love have some privacy.

After Darren, Gigi and Eddie stepped out of the room, Darren asked his wife, "Did Lisa tell you…?"

"She did, Darren. He told you two, then?" The two men nodded.

"Mom, how could their adoptive dad do that? I mean, you and Dad chose Lisa and me. You said that means we're special. How could he do that?" From the time Eddie was a baby, no secret had been made of the fact that he'd been adopted. In fact, Grandma Hanson had been adopted because her biological mother had died in African jungles and so adoption had become something of a family tradition.

"Eddie honey, some people just don't realize how special chosen kids are, and that man who adopted Seto and Mokuba was one of those people who don't realize it. If there was anyone who didn't deserve chosen children, it was Gozaburo Kaiba." Darren and Eddie nodded agreement.

Meanwhile, back in Seto's bedroom… _Leese… _

_Seto, it's all right. You're okay, and my parents and brother already love you. _Seto moved his head and tilted Lisa's chin back so he could meet her gaze. _Read them yourself,_ she sent. He took a deep breath and reached out to the three people out in the hallway. He could sense concern and love coming from them.

Love for Lisa, Mokuba and…_me? Lisa… _

_You're part of the family, as far as they're concerned. _

_Are we that serious?_

_I don't know. Are we?_

He smiled. _Maybe we are, but let's wait before we start picking out a china pattern. _He heard her mental laughter and could see the humor in her blue eyes. The two exited the bedroom and into the arms of Lisa's family.

Y

On Monday morning, the Hammonds and Seto headed to Domino Children's. "I wish we could've managed more than a day trip," Darren said.

"I could…" Seto started.

"Seto, I love teaching and I'm not going to miss my Tuesday class. Besides, I don't think you need an Old Testament Wisdom Literature class."

"Old… what?"

"Those are the books of Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and…Job, right, Daddy?" Lisa said.

"That's right, Leese."

The little group arrived at Mokuba's room at 10:00 AM. The little boy was awake and eager to see everyone. "Hey, guys! Seto, don't you have school?"

"Not today, little brother. It's an in-service day."

"That's good," the small boy answered, getting his morning hugs and kisses. The teddy bear and Yugi's old Dark Magician stuffed toy were sitting next to Mokuba still. "George was in here earlier and helped me eat breakfast. He told me about you when you were little, Lisa."

"Oh, and what did he tell you?"

"He said you were real serious when you were my age, but he helped you have fun with your powers."

"What?" Seto asked.

"He taught me to use my powers to throw water balloons," Lisa admitted. Seto and Mokuba exchanged glances and cracked up.

Eddie laughed and said, "So George was the one who taught you that? Cool!"

All too soon, it was time for Lisa's parents and brother to leave for the airfield and go back home. "Mokuba, we'll be back to see you soon, okay?" Gigi said, hugging the little boy after Eddie had told him he'd send Mokuba an autographed team picture from his college soccer team.

"Okay. Can I call you guys sometimes?"

"Sure, kiddo," Darren said. "You can call us any time."

"Even at three in the morning?"

"Even at three in the morning," Gigi answered, smiling.

Darren, Gigi and Eddie flew off at 2:30 that afternoon. "I don't think we have to worry, Mom and Dad," Eddie said. "Lisa's happy."

"No, we don't have to worry, Eddie."

Back on the ground, Lisa watched as her parents and brother flew away. "I miss them already," she said a little sadly.

"I know. Me, too," Seto admitted. "I think I like your family."

"And?"

"I think Mokuba does, too. Speaking of my little brother, let's spend some time with him tonight."

"All right." Seto put his arm around Lisa's waist, she slipped her arm around him, and the two headed back to Domino Children's.

_Aw, definitely a bit fluffy. Well, that's because the next chapter is going to be sad and ugly. I'm not going to give a preview because I don't think I could condense it enough. It will involve something bad happening to Joey. Sorry, Joey fans. I like him a lot, and that's why there will be something for my fellow Polarshippers in the next chapter, before the something-bad happens part… Read and review!_


	20. Secret Pain Made Public

Chapter XVI: Secret Pain Made Public

_Hello again, fellow YGO fanfic writers! Thanks again to my reviewers, Glimerofhope and Invader101! Last time, Lisa's parents and big brother came to Domino to meet her boyfriend and his little brother. Lisa also had her first encounter with the paparazzi. Seems pretty calm, though, all things considered. It's the calm before the storm… This chapter is a figurative storm breaking… Joey fans, this isn't going to be pretty… So what'll happen? We'll see really soon!_

_**Author's notes, a little over five years later:**__ As I originally noted later in the chapter, Joey's father's language is occasionally bleeped through the use of X's. This is to preserve the T rating. Other edits include shrinking section breaks. Thank you for your attention._

For about a week and a half after Lisa's parents left, the little group of fledgling Jedi became stronger in their abilities to read each other's minds and in their movement abilities. Yugi found himself able to make a slam dunk in basketball for the very first time, while Teá found herself able to pirouette for longer periods of time, among other things. Mokuba, though unable to test his physical abilities, had learned not only to mentally IM his friends and family, he'd learned to levitate objects.

"So when do we learn how to use light sabers, Lisa?" Joey asked.

"As soon as Seto figures out how to build them," she answered.

The entire group looked at Seto who said, "I'm working on it. Lisa had to convince me that we needed to do it. Kaiba Corp used to build weapons and… I didn't like it when Gozaburo made me design a weapon. Fortunately, I took over before that thing could make it off the drawing board."

"I told him the sabers would mainly be used for defense. I used to think we wouldn't need them, but considering what you guys have told me about the last few months… well, I wouldn't be surprised if we did at some point."

"So how'll we learn to use them, Lisa?" Yugi asked.

"When Mokuba's better, we're all going to begin the training using kendo sticks."

"Ken—what?" Joey asked, genuinely puzzled.

"It's that thing that looked like a sword that my grandpa used to make you pay attention, Joey."

"Oh, thanks, Yuge! So not yet, huh?"

"You guys definitely aren't ready, anyway," Lisa pointed out. "That's not to say you guys won't be working on your physical fighting skills. I've gotten permission for you all to use the doctors' gym for training. Seto's better at martial arts, so he'll be your tutor."

Everyone caught Joey's apprehension at this development, so Seto said, "Joey, look, if I mistreat you in any way, I have Lisa and Mokuba to answer to. I don't want to have to answer to them, so I won't be rough on you. I mean, I won't go easy on you, but I'll be fair."

And so, whenever Mokuba was asleep, which was often, the teens were all at the gym. Lisa took the opportunity during these sessions and during breaks to get to really know her friends. "So, Tristan," she said when everyone was downing water and sports drinks between punching bag practice and defensive practice, "what's your favorite subject in school?"

"I don't really have one, unless you count Tai-Chi and lunch. I just hate to study, so I'm average."

"Any girlfriends?"

"No. But I kind of have a stalker."

"Stalker?" Lisa asked.

"Her name's Miho. I tried dating her for a little while, but she wasn't my type. Unfortunately, she thought I was her type."

"Ouch. So what's your family like?"

"I've got a sister. Her name's Arianna and she's eight years older than me. She's married and she's already got a son."

"You're an uncle?"

"Yeah, and his name's Andrew. He's eight months old." Tristan's face softened.

"You really love him, don't you?"

"Yeah. He's a lot of fun."

Then, while Lisa and Teá were pounding on punching bags… "Uff! So you're into dance, right, Teá?"

"Yeah, but I also like kickboxing and what we're doing here."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I know I probably seem like a girly girl, but I think you can balance looking good with kicking butt. Maybe you could… umph.. come to a class with me sometime."

"You've got it! So any guys in your life?"

"Besides the ones I hang out with? No…"

"I meant…"

"I know… it's just that I like having friends right now."

"That's good. Hey, Teá, do you think we look alike at all?"

The dancer looked at the doctor appraisingly. "I think we do… a little bit. Your face and eyes are shaped differently than mine, but I think your legs are shaped better."

"Yeah, well you've got better tone and muscle overall, and your hair's straighter."

Nearly everyone opened up and talked about their lives to Lisa. Everyone, that is, except for Mai and Joey. Mai didn't talk about her family, other than that her parents were dead and that she had no other relatives that she knew of. However, Mai did mention something else. "Until Joey and his friends, I've never really had friends. I've got to admit the guys may be knuckleheads and Teá may run at the mouth a bit, but they're my knuckleheads and talker."

"I know what you mean."

Joey talked about his family, but Lisa could tell he was holding something back.

"So, Joey," Lisa said over hot fudge sundaes after a particularly rigorous training session, "tell me more about yourself."

"You've really been trying to get to know us, Leese. Why?" Joey said it in a relaxed manner but Lisa could sense he wanted to hide.

"You're my friends. I should know about you," she answered, "and remember that I won't force you to tell me anything you don't want to tell me."

"Okay," he said, blushing. "I guess I forgot that. So, what do you want to know?"

"Tell me what you want to tell me, okay?"

Joey nodded. "Well, I was born here in Domino, but I don't sound like it, do I?" he said, laughing a little.

"I would've guessed you were originally from New York or Pittsburgh."

"Pittsburgh?! Are you kiddin'?"

"Well, one of my dad's colleagues at the university where he teaches talks a lot like you do and he's from Pittsburgh. I'm not entirely sure of his upbringing but he's apparently from Pittsburgh."

"Oh… Well, my dad's from New York and I guess I caught the accent. What about you? You don't sound like you're from Seattle…"

"Yeah, well, my accent's a bit blurred. My mom's from the Midwest and my dad's from Yakima, Washington. So where's your sister?"

"She lives in North Haverbrook with Mom. I haven't seen them in six years. My dad works a lot, so it's kinda like I'm on my own."

_That last was an outright lie, _Lisa realized, but thought it deeply enough in her mind the blonde boy couldn't discern it. "Well, if you ever want to, come on over and have dinner with Seto, Mokuba and me, okay?"

"Thanks, Leese. I guess you know about why I went to Duelist Kingdom…"

"The gang has filled me in some, but I'd like to hear it from you."

Joey nodded, taking yet another bite of his sundae. "Well, I wasn't much of a duelist back then, but Yuge and his grandpa got me ready so I could duel and kick Teá's butt."

"Teá kicked your butt?"

"Well, I only started my training in June after Yuge beat your boyfriend. And I didn't exactly complete my training before Duelist Kingdom, 'cause Pegasus kidnapped Gramps. So I ended up duelin' in a tournament against people with twice my experience…"

"And impressing a girl that was a little bit older than you…"

Joey flushed slightly at this. "I owe her big and Yuge, too. Mai gave me her entry card when someone stole mine and Yuge gave me the three million bucks in prize money so I could pay for my sister's surgery. I know Mom doesn't make enough to cover the expenses even with her insurance at work, so I figured I'd better do something, rather than just watch my sister go blind. And they… Yuge… Mai…" Joey turned away from her for a minute, wiping his eyes.

Lisa picked up Joey's now empty sundae bowl and took it and her own dish to the proper place in the cafeteria. Joey stood up from his seat, in control of himself and said, "Sorry, Leese. I got somethin' in my eye."

"Joey, don't hide from me. You've got some very good friends, and it's okay to be emotional in front of your friends, male or female."

He regarded her for a minute, then said, "Thanks, Lisa," and gave her a brotherly hug.

"No problem," she answered and they headed up to Mokuba's room.

Y

From the day Mokuba began his recovery, Lisa started taking pictures of Mokuba and the group so the little boy would have good memories of his time in the hospital. Scout Rhodes had taken a picture when Seto and Lisa were hugging after Mokuba had awakened the morning after he'd been hurt. Then there was a picture from an afternoon when Teá had decided to help some kids in the hospital put on a short dance recital for everyone. Mai had helped with hair and make-up and though the kids were in hospital issue pajamas, they danced pretty well.

Another picture taken about a week after Mokuba had had his casts put on was of the boys, except for Joey, looking rather green. The teen boys had all taken part in a group pizza eating contest in Mokuba's room, and the results had been interesting. Joey, of course, won hands down eating eight slices, with Tristan a close second with six. Duke gave up after his fourth slice and Yugi gave up after his third. Seto tried valiantly to win, but threw up after his fifth slice.

"Oh, what made me do it?" he groaned from the bathroom. Lisa came in with mouthwash and helped him freshen up, and then kissed him on the cheek.

"It was your own need to compete that was your downfall, honey. Now take this antacid." He did, and when they returned, Lisa, Mai and Teá cracked up and Yugi took a picture of the three girls.

Another scrapbook moment occurred the next afternoon. Mokuba had gotten a bit sad and bored because Seto had had to be at the office for a bit. Lisa called the office and asked, "Seto, could you find something to cheer Mokuba up? He just is really bummed out."

"We'll think of something," the young man said calmly. At 3:30 on that Saturday afternoon, Lisa was reading _Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix_ to Mokuba when they both sensed the presence of five boys of their acquaintance and someone new. Lisa wisely bookmarked the page they were on and set the book down, then picked up her camera.

One minute later, the theme from _Benny Hill_ began playing and six teenage boys wearing Duel Monsters boxer shorts on their heads burst into the room and ran around until the music stopped. Doctor and patient laughed very hard.

"Guys," Lisa said as soon as she regained her powers of speech, "that was great! Oh, I don't believe we've met before. I'm Lisa," she said, extending her hand to a boy with dark brown eyes and hair that was so blonde it was almost white.

"A pleasure to meet you. I'm Bakura Ryou," he returned in a clipped British accent. For some odd reason, Bakura reminded Lisa of an angel grieving over the pain he saw on Earth.

"The pleasure is all mine, Bakura."

"Hi, Bakura," Mokuba greeted with a smile.

"I haven't seen you here before, Bakura," Lisa said a little bit later.

"Oh, I would've visited sooner, but I was a bit concerned Mokuba might be a bit overwhelmed and security would be a problem as well."

"Well, we'll get you on the guest list, then," Seto said. "Lisa, babe, did you get pictures of this?"

"I did, and I've already got a place in the scrapbook."

Lisa picked up what looked like a bright blue book, but on closer inspection, it was a scrapbook with a Blue Eyes White Dragon on the cover. She opened the book to reveal a page with a brick wall surrounding a frame-like space for a photo. "Perfect for comic relief," she said, smiling.

"That's quite a lovely scrapbook," Bakura said.

"Is any of this goin' public?" Joey wanted to know.

"Some might, eventually," Lisa admitted, "but not now."

"How many pictures are in there right now?" Yugi asked curiously.

"Quite a few," Lisa said, "and I still need pictures of a couple of you reading to Mokuba."

Y

On a Friday morning, two weeks exactly from the day Mokuba had had his casts put on, Seto James Kaiba sat in his office, staring at his telephone for a minute. He'd hung up from a business meeting with another gaming company, and was trying to relax so he could make the phone call he needed to make.

"Mr. Kaiba?" Seto looked up to see his trusted bodyguard looking at him with a knowing smile.

"Yes, Roland?"

"It's not going to get any easier if you wait, you know…"

"Did you do this?"

"I did, but it was quite a few years ago and I wasn't the teen CEO of a multinational corporation, and my girlfriend wasn't a well-known teen doctor. You'll do fine, and you know Darren and Gigi love you."

"I guess you're right, Roland," Seto admitted with a little smile.

Seto took a deep breath and picked up the phone, dialing Lisa's family's home number. In Kirkland, Gigi and Darren were both at the house because Darren didn't have a class or meeting until later in the morning.

Gigi picked up. "Hello, Hammond residence."

"Hi, Gigi."

"Oh, hi, Seto, how are you doing, honey?"

"Pretty good," Seto said, "and Mokuba's doing okay. He's getting his casts off tomorrow. But that's not why I called. Is Darren home too?"

"Yes, he is, sweetie. What's going on?"

"I have a question I need to ask you both." Gigi, even without her daughter's gifts, knew something was up, so she called her husband to the other phone.

"Hi, Seto," Darren Hammond greeted, "what's up?"

"I… well, Darren and Gigi…" His heart was pounding. _Get a hold of yourself, _he told himself. _You've dueled nutcases, you've raised a child by yourself since you were almost seven and you're a captain of industry! Help me, God!_ He took a deep breath and used his new Jedi talents to calm himself. "I know this is kind of sudden, but… I want to ask you for Lisa's hand in marriage… I haven't asked her yet, because I want to ask her at the right time. She is the most amazing young woman I have ever met and I think I knew from the moment I saw her that she would be the person I'd spend the rest of my life with. She's sweet, she's funny and I can't imagine my life without her. So… will you say yes?" He paused, waiting for Darren and Gigi's answer.

Darren and Gigi were not in the least surprised that Seto was asking to marry their youngest child. But they were a little surprised that he would ask them before he asked her the fateful question.

"Seto," Darren said, "we know you love Lisa and that it's real love. If we asked you to wait, would you wait?"

"As long as it took, I would wait for her. If I had to do something to make me worthy of her in your eyes, I'd do it."

Darren nodded to his wife. "That was the answer we hoped you'd say. Welcome to the family, honey," Gigi said.

"Thank you, both of you," he said, and then said goodbye. "It's done," he said to Roland, who clapped him on the shoulder.

"Good job, sir."

Y

On Friday afternoon, Seto couldn't come to the hospital right after school because he had to get his schoolwork from his missed first through third period classes, and then he had to go to a very short meeting. When he got to the hospital, to his surprise, Mokuba's room wasn't bustling with the activity of eight teenagers. He could sense Lisa, coming down the hall from another patient's room, and Joey Wheeler was in Mokuba's room, reading chapter eight of _The Hunt for Red October_ to the little boy. Mokuba, like his brother and future sister-in-law, loved Tom Clancy novels and _The Hunt for Red October_, so everyone had taken turns reading to him.

"Hey, Joey?"

"Yeah, Moks?" Seto stood outside the door, listening.

"I… I'm getting my casts off tomorrow, and I might not have to have them back on my arms."

"Moks, that's great," the blonde boy said happily, giving the small boy a gentle one-armed hug.

"So, Joey, could you be here when my casts come off? I'm a little scared," the boy said, giving the teen the "puppy dog eyes of death."

"Aw, Mokuba, enough with the eyes, I'm there! When'll it happen?"

"I think tomorrow afternoon."

"All right. You got it."

Seto could easily see what was going on in the room without peeking around the door. _A few months ago,_ he reflected, _I wouldn't have allowed this, but…Joey's more like I should've been with Mokuba._

"How so?" Lisa asked softly, coming up to her boyfriend.

"Reading my thoughts?" he asked, pulling his beloved into a strong kiss.

"Just the surface," she answered softly when they broke apart. "So?"

"Joey hasn't lost his sense of humor."

"And you've gotten yours back, honey. Mokuba knows it."

"He just used the puppy eyes of death on Joey to get him to come tomorrow."

"Is Joey reading to him right now?"

"Yeah. How come?"

"I needed a picture of one more person reading to Mokuba." She had her camera and walked into the room.

"Oh, hey, guys," Joey said, moving to sit up.

"Joey, keep reading. You're the last one I need to snap a picture of."

"Oh, okay." Joey sat back so Mokuba was resting against him, and held the book as if he was reading. Lisa quickly snapped the picture.

"Thanks, Joey!"

"No prob," he answered.

"Are you going to stick around?" Seto asked.

"Well, I got most of my homework done, so yeah, I guess I can hang for a bit."

"Good," Lisa said. When Joey turned, the teen doctor couldn't help but notice the fresh bruise on his left cheek. She resolved silently to ask the blonde boy about it later that evening.

Then Seto got a thoughtful expression on his face. "Hey, Joey?"

"Yeah, Seto?" Seto handed Joey the camera.

"Could you get a picture of Leese, Mokie and me?"

"Sure." Joey got the three posed nicely. Mokuba sat on his bed, while Lisa sat on Mokuba's right and Seto sat on his left. Despite Mokuba having casts on, it was a very happy picture.

About an hour after the picture was taken, Yugi, Teá, Mai, Tristan, Duke and Bakura arrived for the evening. "Hey, guys," Mokuba greeted, "we're gonna watch a movie!"

"What are we going to watch?" Yugi asked.

"Might I suggest _William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet_?" Bakura offered.

"_Star Trek IV_?" Lisa suggested.

"_Powerpuff Girls_?" Teá said.

"_Blazin' Saddles_?" Joey wondered.

"Nope. I wanna watch… _Superman._"

"All right, Mokuba, you've got it," Lisa said.

"I'll order some pizza from Gino's tonight. Is that okay?" Seto asked.

"Gino's? That's the best place in town!" Joey said, shocked. Seto, however, was fairly relaxed.

"You act like that shouldn't happen, Joey."

"It's just… man, what happened to creepy Kaiba?"

"He's dead, Joey, and if I have my way, he is _never_ coming back. I'll still be stone cold in business meetings, though, and if the teachers annoy me…"

Seto ordered Lisa, Mai and Mokuba's favorite pepperoni and black olive pizza, an all-meat pizza for Duke and Tristan, the Gino's house special pizza for Yugi and Teá, and a chicken and pesto pizza for himself (Joey, of course, liked everything). The teen CEO also added the Gino's signature antipasto salad for everyone, and after the food arrived, the group started the movie. They watched the movie to the end and ate all the pizza and salad. It was 8:45 when the movie ended and Mokuba was drifting off to sleep and so everyone began to leave.

_Soundtrack: Concrete Angel_

Lisa drew Joey aside for a minute out in the hall before he could leave. Yugi, Teá and Tristan were heading down the hall, Bakura had elected to walk home and Mai had made a stop in the bathroom before heading to her own car. "Joey, is everything okay? I just noticed that bruise on your cheek…"

"Yeah, I'm okay. I just got in a fight yesterday. I tend to get in fights a lot, Leese." Lisa could sense again that Joey was lying, so she reached out to his three closest friends who'd stopped and heard the conversation. Teá and Yugi were obviously concerned, but didn't know what had really happened. Tristan Taylor, however, knew something and was very uncomfortable with that knowledge.

"Well, if you need any help," Lisa said, handing him a business card, "call the person on this card, okay?"

"Sergeant Jessie Martin," he read.

"She's on the Domino PD and she can help you with whomever it is you're fighting. Call her, okay?"

"Thanks, Leese," Joey said. "G'Night." Lisa got herself comfortable in Mokuba's room as she had elected to stay with him tonight.

Joey headed down the hallway with his friends and rode down the elevator in silence. Yugi and Teá headed for home and Tristan quickly headed to the bathroom. Joey headed out the hospital's main doors, expecting Tristan to be waiting for him because the blonde was unaware his friend had left to answer the call of nature, but was instead greeted with the sight of Mai Valentine, standing under a streetlight. The first time he'd seen her, Mai had been illuminated by the lights of the boat deck. He'd thought she was really pretty then, and now, he thought she looked angelic.

"Hey, Joey," Mai said, coming up to him.

"Hey, Mai," he answered, his heart suddenly beating wildly.

"Tristan said he was heading to the bathroom and he'd be right back," the blonde girl said. "Listen, Joey…" Her cheeks were flushed a light pink.

"Yeah?" he coaxed.

"There's something I want to tell you." She hoped he couldn't hear her heart beating loudly, and he was hoping she didn't hear his.

"Yeah?" he asked.

"I'm… I'm glad I'm getting the chance to know you better…" It felt to Joey as if the entire world had disappeared, leaving no one but him and Mai.

She was less than two feet away from him, so he asked, "What have you found out about me, Mai?"

"I've found out you're a really nice guy I'd like to get to know a lot better."

"And?" Mai was mere inches from him…

"And… I really like you, Joey." Suddenly the teen boy closed the gap, kissing the teen girl softly on the lips and she kissed back. After what seemed like a few days, but was in reality thirty seconds, they broke apart.

"I think it's more than like, Mai," Joey observed softly, blushing. Mai, too, was blushing softly.

"Definitely more than like, Joseph Wheeler. What's your middle name?"

"Aaron. Yours?"

"Deirdre."

"So, Mai Deirdre Valentine, do you want to go out sometime?"

"Yeah, Joseph Aaron Wheeler. When and where?"

"We'll talk tomorrow," and he kissed her on the cheek this time. "See ya, Mai."

"Good night, Joey," she answered and headed to her car.

Tristan had just happened to see the whole thing as he'd returned from the bathroom, but wisely remained in the shadows. "Joey, did I just see you and Mai..?" he asked. Joey nodded with a small smile on his face. "Great, man."

"Tris, that was one of the greatest moments of my life." They walked off the hospital grounds and headed toward home.

"Did Lisa ask you about the bruise?"

"Yeah, I told her I got in a fight."

Tristan's expression grew very concerned. "Dude, I don't think she believed you."

"Yeah?" Joey said, defensiveness seeping into his voice, "Well I'm not tellin' her anything."

"But, Joey…"

"Neither are you," the blonde continued, "'cause you know what'll happen." Tristan sighed. "Tristan, you promised, man! I don't want anybody knowin'. See ya tomorrow, all right?"

"Yeah," Tristan said with a strange sense of foreboding. "Good night, Joey."

It was 9:15 when Joey finally got into his apartment. The place smelled like cheap beer and corn chips, and the living room was littered with liquor bottles, beer cans and take-out boxes. _Sometimes I wonder if he takes out the trash in here, just so he has an excuse… _Joey sighed, went into the kitchen, got a trash bag, and cleaned the apartment. If he didn't, there'd be hell to pay. _At least I've gotten decent dinners the past few nights, _he reflected. _Man, who'd have thought that Seto Kaiba'd turn out to be a nice guy? And I never thought I had the abilities I have or that a girl like Mai would ever…like me, much less kiss me!_ Joey thought the last with a smile on his face. _Maybe I'm better than all this…_

Once Joey got the apartment cleaned up, he headed to the bathroom, took a shower, and then got his pajamas on. He pulled out his school books and did his homework. Even though it was a Friday night, Joey wanted to get his work done because chances were good that his dad wouldn't give him the opportunity to do his homework. Joey tried to at least get by in school, but he could never do better than a B, and said B was rare. Joey couldn't do better than a B because most often Joey's dad was home. When Joey's dad was home, Joey spent the bulk of his time dodging an angry dad, or making sure his drunken dad didn't die of alcohol poisoning. So Joey studied, and finished his work shortly after 11:00. He was confident he'd pass his algebra test, and that he'd wow his English teacher with his paper on the life of Edgar Allan Poe. At 11:15, Joey Wheeler went to bed.

Y

Jacob Robert Wheeler was a drunken reprobate who didn't see himself as such. He believed that he was king of the world and ruler of his domain. His wife, his XXXX of a wife, didn't understand that, other people didn't understand that and, most horribly, his son didn't understand that. Women needed to be brought into line and made to obey the men they served. If you had to hit them, so be it. But of course, the courts didn't understand that. Jake knew it was a good thing that his ex-wife had never talked. If she had, he would've been sent to jail because the courts sided with XXXXs every time. And the courts weren't the only ones…

This afternoon, a female customer (what a cutie!) had come into the shop, and Jake decided to ask her out using the old Wheeler charm. It hadn't worked, and she had turned him down. So he decided to tell that pooch just what he thought of her, and the boss heard. Jake Wheeler was fired on the spot. _What a XXXXXXXXXXing XXXXXXX. He doesn't know what it means to be a real man,_ Jake thought. _He's probably under his wife's XXXXXXXX thumb._And so, Jake headed to FX McSchnooker's Bar and drank for a few hours. He knocked back a few to relax, and then at 12:20, they told him they couldn't serve him any more beer. He grabbed his keys before the bartender could take them away and stop him. Somehow, he got home by 12:30.

Jake still wanted beer and once he was back in his apartment, spent fifteen minutes looking fruitlessly for it or any other form of alcohol. _That boy… he should've gotten me more beer. He's a pathetic little mutt,_ Jake Wheeler thought sourly, ignoring the fact that his son couldn't legally buy him beer for another five and a half years. So the drunken man stalked toward his son's bedroom, anger rapidly overtaking reason. He stormed in, ready to take the boy to task for not doing his job, and he snapped on the light.

It was Joey's gift and his curse that he was a sound sleeper. If he hadn't been such a sound sleeper, Joey might've awakened when his dad returned home and been prepared when the older man moved to his room and across the clean floor. Unfortunately, Joey didn't wake up until he felt his dad yanking off his blankets. Jake dragged Joey bodily out of bed, and the teen boy awoke, but was fairly groggy.

"Wha-? Dad?"

"Don't 'Dad' me, you pathetic little dog!" Jake shouted angrily. Joey was extremely confused, as he often was when his dad stormed at him in the middle of the night.

"Dad, what are you..?" **Smack**! Jake hit Joey across the face, causing the existing bruise to get much worse and capillaries to burst on the teen boy's face. "Dad, what did I do?!" Joey yelped, wishing for once he knew what he'd done to deserve this hell on Earth. Joey brought up his arms, feebly trying to block another blow, but his father struck with such force that Joey's left arm broke.

"You ruined my life, you rotten little sack of XXXX, and you're a pathetic little mutt no one ever wants!" Joey was in such pain by now that he couldn't dodge the blow that his father landed to his head. The boy fell, hitting and breaking a glass table and cutting his left upper arm badly. Joey figured if he played dead, his father would stop the beating and just drag him back to his bedroom. This time, however, it seemed that Jake Wheeler was out to kill his son.

The beating lasted until 1:15 with Jake using kicks and punches to his son's limp body. Then Jake staggered to his own bedroom and passed out on his bed. Joey, somehow still conscious, waited a couple of minutes and managed to get on his feet. Though his awareness was greatly diminished, he knew he had to get out of the apartment. So the blonde teen boy gathered his remaining strength and forced one foot to move, and then the other. As he did, he prayed in his head…

_Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you…_ Joey was out the door…

_Blessed are you among women… _He was to the elevator, half expecting his father to come storming down the hall after him. He hit the button to take him down to ground level and was out to the street…

_And blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus…_ Blood was dripping slowly from Joey's damaged left arm, and yet he kept moving. He wasn't aware completely of where he was and might've collapsed where he stood, but somehow a primal instinct kept him going…

_Hail… Mary… Mother of God…_ He moved like an automaton now, toward a house he knew instinctively to be safe haven, a house with a neon sign that had a turtle on it…

_Pray for us sinners…_ The boy staggered across the street, his body past endurance, pain radiating throughout…

_Now, and at the hour of our death…_ He made it to the gate, opened it and got on the walkway to the side door…

Joey's injured body could finally move no more and he collapsed against the door of Yugi Muto's house, unconscious… _Amen…_

_This is a cliffhanger, everyone. Probably not a new idea that Joey's dad nearly beats him to death, but in this alternate timeline, it's necessary that this happens… Will his friends know in time to save him? Read and review!_


	21. The Truth Shall Make You Free

Chapter XVII: The Truth Shall Make You Free

_Hello, again, everyone! Thanks to Invader101's very quick review, I elected to post another chapter today. I debated doing a sidebar section to explain a little more about Lisa, for those of you who haven't guessed who she was and who she might've been had she not been adopted into the Hammond family. So before we have the announcer introduce where we were and where we're about to be, I'm going to give you a little more information about Lisa._

_Lisa Angela Hammond was born on February 22, 1988 in a town in Missouri and was adopted into the Hammond family six weeks later. She shares her birthday with some celebrities including a Seattle sports hero, the first President of the United States, George Washington and (to her shame, because she just doesn't like the guy) Senator Ted Kennedy. Her blood type is A+ (like her grade point average) and she has, to this point in the story, broken her left leg twice. She has no absolute favorite food, only dislikes for certain foods and she knows how to cook pretty well. Her favorite color is purple but she has a soft spot for blue. She isn't very athletic without her powers and is a bit reserved. In addition to her unusual powers, she has had strange dreams about a girl who looks a little like her, but that girl has white blonde hair that seems the palest of pale blue at times._

_-Announcer's voice- Last time on "Yu-Gi-Oh! The Jedi League of Duelists…" The Jedi teens began their physical training and soul bearing… Romance blossomed… And a teen boy's life lays in the balance… Will he be found in time? Find Out… Yu-Gi-Oh is not owned by Peach Wookiee. -End announcer's voice…-_

_**Author's notes, over five years later: **__I made minor changes to the section breaks and flashbacks._

It was 12:50 AM on Saturday when the Jedi kids all began waking up. On this night, Mai hadn't taken her sleeping pills, Joey's admittedly inexperienced kiss having acted as a natural counter to her nightmares. But now she woke up with a start… "JOEY!" she yelped. _What's wrong? _she sent, figuring he'd send back if he needed help. Instead… _What? He's blocked me!_

Mai wasn't the only one who could sense something was terribly wrong. All over Domino, the teenagers and child with Jedi sensitivity were waking up. Lisa woke up with a start, feeling the sudden jolt of pain and fear. The pain, she could tell, was both mental and physical and it was coming from Joey. The fear was coming from everyone else, because Joey had his mental shields up.

"Lisa? What's happening?" Mokuba whispered in the darkness. "It feels like Joey's in trouble."

"I know, sweetheart, and he's blocking us."

_Lisa?_ The Jedi girl opened her mind.

_Mai? _

_Did you feel that? It feels like Joey… _

_I know, Mai. _

_Leese?_

_Yeah, Seto? _

_You felt that, didn't you? _

_Yeah. _

_I'm going to send the limo to you…_

_Lisa? _Four other voices joined the conversation.

_Seto, give me five minutes. I need to get some medical supplies. I have a feeling Joey's going to need medical attention. _

_Got it. _

_Guys, Seto's bringing the limo around. Be ready. _Everyone assented.

Mokuba looked up at Lisa and asked, "You're gonna go?"

"I'll get someone in here to be with you, okay, Moks?" He nodded, eyes wide with fear and worry. Lisa gave him a strong hug, and quickly headed out of the room. A nurse was walking by.

"Althea?" Lisa whispered to the 28-year-old Korean woman, "could you stay in here for a bit? I have an emergency."

"Yes, Doctor," the woman answered and stepped in. Lisa hadn't gone ten steps when she encountered Scout Rhodes.

"Lisa, what's going on?" she asked, keeping step with the teen.

"I've got an emergency. We've lost clear mental contact with Joey and it feels like he's in a lot of trouble. Could you be ready, just in case?"

Jean Louise Rhodes had learned to trust Lisa's sixth sense, and nodded at the girl's request. "Is Mokuba okay?"

"Yeah, I sent Althea in with him. She's good with scared kids." The young doctor and pediatric surgeon were at the lockers and Lisa opened hers to grab a black bag with some medical supplies. Scout had grabbed a few things to replenish Lisa's supplies and helped the girl place them in the bag.

"You ready?" Lisa nodded. "Good luck, honey. I hope your friend's all right." Lisa nodded and headed out to the front of the hospital where Seto was waiting in the limo with Mai, Duke, Tristan and Teá.

"Guys, anything?" They shook their heads. It was 1:23 AM, and Joey still had his shields up. "Yugi's not here?"

"No," Seto answered. "Do you have supplies, babe?"

Lisa nodded. "I just have this feeling something is really wrong." Tristan shifted uncomfortably.

"Tristan?" Lisa and Teá asked.

"I," Tristan began as the car moved, but didn't get to finish the sentence.

At that moment, a mental current of incredible emotional anguish shocked through the Jedi girl and her Jedi trainees. _**Joey! Oh, no!**_

"That was Yugi!" they all shouted. The driver was fortunately almost to the game shop. Lisa grabbed her bag and yanked on a pair of rubber gloves.

_Seto?_ He nodded, ready to assist his love in whatever way he could. The car stopped and Lisa jumped out, followed by her boyfriend. They ran to the side of Muto Games to see Yugi next to Joey's inert form.

"Joey, c'mon, wake up," Yugi was saying over and over. Solomon Muto had just run to the door with a cordless phone in his hand.

"…No, he's unconscious… He looks like he's been beaten badly… Oh, thank God… A doctor is here…"

Lisa quickly knelt next to Joey. Yugi had managed to turn his injured friend face-up, and looked desperately at the young woman who'd helped strengthen the bond between him and all his friends. Ordinarily, Lisa would've liked nothing better than to hug Yugi and tell him it would be all right, but right now she couldn't do it.

"Joey… Joey, can you hear me?" He wasn't responding, not even a moan. Yugi had moved away and was hugging Teá for comfort. Seto knelt next to Lisa and handed her a pair of surgical scissors from her bag. Joey's left sleeve was bloody and she quickly cut off the sleeve, revealing a very deep cut to his upper arm. "Seto," she began, and he handed her disinfectant swabs, gauze pads and rolled gauze. "There's glass," she murmured, and Seto handed her a pair of tweezers to remove the biggest pieces. Then she placed a gauze pad to the wound. It soaked through quickly and Lisa added a few more pads, wrapped gauze around the area, then held her fingers to a pressure point. Seto moved his fingers to the same spot, allowing Lisa to assess other injured areas.

"Lisa," Seto asked verbally, the other teens asking with their eyes.

"He's hurt badly. I can only guess at his internal injuries, and I count at least two broken ribs. This arm is broken," she added, bandaging it up so it was held immobile. Her face was pale, and the teens all knew it was a combination of rage and horror that made her so. "Who could've done this?" Just then, the ambulance drove up. Two paramedics jumped out with a crash cart.

"Where's the doctor?" one shouted. Lisa, not moving from Joey's side, pulled out her Domino Children's ID.

"Here I am." The paramedics, even without the ID, recognized her and quickly took her assessment of the situation. She watched them load Joey into the ambulance and before she jumped in, said to her friends and love, "You're going to need your families. It's going to be a long night." The ambulance drove off with Lisa and Joey and the other teens were left alone with Yugi's grandfather.

"Should I—?" Solomon Muto asked.

Seto nodded, then asked Teá, "Can I use your cell phone for a minute?"

"Yeah, Kaiba," she answered, reverting to his adopted surname due to how shocked she was, "why?"

"I need to call everybody's parents. I think Yugi needs you right now." She nodded and moved back to the small teen, while Seto used Teá's contact list to make the calls. Then everyone piled into the limousine, Yugi hugging his grandfather for comfort. The ride to Domino Children's was a silent one, the silence only broken by parents getting into the car. Seto found it extremely odd that Joey's dad hadn't answered the phone, and no one seemed to know anything about Joey's dad… except Tristan.

Y

"We've got an adolescent male, age fifteen with broken bones, internal injuries, contusions and abrasions!" Lisa yelled as her fellow doctors and nurses raced with her down the hall into the ER at 1:40 AM. Scout Rhodes, Darla Truesdale and Miranda Bailey were on duty.

"Dr. Hammond, what happened?" Dr. Bailey asked quickly.

"Someone beat him up, Dr. Bailey and I have my suspicions, but they're only that at the moment. He walked from wherever it was to his best friend's door before he collapsed. He didn't respond when I probed the cut on his arm."

"All right, Doctor, I want you to call his family," Bailey said.

"Yes, Doctor."

"Furthermore, Doctors Rhodes, Truesdale and I will be working on this ourselves."

"Yes, ma'am."

Lisa headed down the hall to find Joey's file. He'd been at Domino Children's a few times before, she noted as she looked at his records. _May 20__th__, three years ago. Patient was admitted for cut to right shoulder. Suspected abuse, but patient indicated he fell against a wire._ Lisa read a few more accounts, going back nearly six years. _His father signed off on this every time. Something is very wrong here,_ she thought. She dialed Joey's home phone number and got no response. She redialed. Again, no response. She was about to dial for a third time when her friends and boyfriend burst through the doors with families in tow.

"Lisa, what's happening?" Seto asked.

"I can't get his father on the phone. And the answering machine isn't working so I can't leave a message."

"You won't get him." Tristan had spoken. "He's probably passed out from too much beer or whatever it was he drank tonight."

"Tristan?" Amanda Taylor was looking at her youngest child, concerned. "Honey, what is going on?"

"Mom, I promised I wouldn't tell."

"Tristan." Yugi had pulled free from his grandfather and took Tristan's hand much as, Lisa reflected, Mokuba would take Seto's hand. "Not every secret should be kept. If you can help Joey, tell Lisa." The small teen's amethyst eyes, brimming with tears, implored the brown-haired, hazel-eyed teen.

Tristan took a deep breath and said, "I'll you what I know, but you have to call Joey's mom and sister."

"Okay, Tristan." The boy was shaking and his parents were getting him to sit down.

"If something happens, they're not going to make it in time." Lisa and Seto exchanged glances, then looked at Tristan. "His mom doesn't have a lot of money and it'll be hard for them to get plane tickets and the trains aren't running."

The teen CEO looked at his friends. "Leave this to me." He followed Lisa back to the phone area. "Lisa, when you talk to them, hand the phone to me… I have an idea."

"Are you pondering what I think you're pondering?"

Y

Elizabeth Alanis Wheeler had had a very rough day in North Haverbrook. She'd gone to work and had to deal with soothing irate customers, and then had to leave work early because Serenity had had a doctor's appointment after school. The boss had been tolerant to this point, but the single mother knew that her employer's patience was running out. She'd gone to bed at 11:45 after helping Serenity with her homework and cleaning up the shabby but cozy apartment.

And now, at ten minutes to two AM, the phone rang. _Who could be calling at this hour?_ She glanced at the caller ID. _Domino Children's Hospital… What in the world?_ She picked up. "Hello?"

"Is this Mrs. Wheeler?" asked a young female voice.

"Yes, it is. Who is this?"

"Ma'am, my name's Doctor Lisa Hammond and I'm afraid we have a problem. Your son, Joey, has just been raced into emergency surgery. We weren't able to get hold of his father, and Joey is in critical condition. I honestly don't know how this is going to go, so you need to get here quickly."

"Is it that bad?" asked Elizabeth desperately.

"Yes, it is. Listen, will you have trouble getting transportation?"

"Yes. The trains aren't running at this time of night and it'll be really difficult to get plane tickets. Oh, no." Elizabeth had started crying.

"I have a way to help you," Lisa said gently.

"You do?"

"Yes. I'm going to hand the phone over to someone who can help you." Elizabeth waited a moment, and then heard a male voice, young but confident and gravelly.

"Mrs. Wheeler, this is Seto Kaiba, and I can help you."

"Seto Kaiba? As in Kaiba Corporation?"

"Yes, ma'am. I'm one of Joey's friends and I owe him big. Is there a big field close to where you live?"

"Well, yes. There's a baseball field next to our apartment. Why?"

"I need a place to land… Could you please give me your address?" Elizabeth gave it to him. Then Seto said, "Can you be ready in half an hour?"

"Yes. We can be out…"

"I'll send a car for you immediately."

"Oh, bless you. Thank you."

"I'll see you shortly. Good-bye, Mrs. Wheeler." As soon as Elizabeth hung up the phone, she looked at her fourteen-year-old daughter.

"Mom, what's going on?" Serenity Jayne Wheeler asked. Elizabeth told her.

"You mean Joey might..?"

"Yes, sweetie. Quickly get some clothes on and pack a bag. We have to hurry. One of his friends is giving us a ride."

Meanwhile, back at Domino Children's, Seto hung up the phone. "I'm heading to the airfield, babe," he told Lisa, kissing her quickly. "I should probably go say goodbye to Mokuba." Just then, the elevator door opened, revealing a sheepish George O'Malley and a very frightened Mokuba Kaiba.

"He wouldn't go back to sleep, Lisa," the nurse apologized.

"Don't worry about it, George. Mokuba…" The nurse had carried Mokuba and handed him off to Lisa, who buried his face against her neck.

"Mokie," Seto said and the little boy looked up, tears in his eyes.

"Big brother…"

"Mokie, I'm going to get Joey's mom and sister, okay?"

"Okay. Seto, what happened?"

"I don't know. But I'll be back as soon as I can." He gave Mokuba a tight hug and left.

"Okay, Tristan," the teen doctor said, "what's going on?"

"His dad did this; he's been beating Joey ever since after his mom and sister left. Joey's dad finally did what he's been threatening to do all this time. He said someday he'd beat Joey so bad, Joey'd be senseless or dead. Lisa, we've been friends since we met at Kenobi Preschool and we've seen each other through a lot. He came to the wedding when Arianna got married, and we'd play together and with his little sister at the park.

"I remember the day his mom left, and he stayed at my house a couple of nights later. Then, I didn't see or hear from him for a week and when he came back to school, he said he'd been sick. And then, a couple of days after his eleventh birthday, he came to school and he finally told me what was going on…."

Y

Nearly five years previously, Tristan Taylor walked to where he normally met his best friend to head to Domino Elementary on this sunny Monday morning. To the brown-haired boy's surprise, Joey was waiting for him. "Hey, Tris."

"Oh, man, Joey, what happened?!" Joey's face was bruised.

"Nothin'," the blonde boy answered.

"It's not nothing, Joey, what happened?"

Joey took a breath, and said, "I'll tell you, but you gotta promise not to tell…"

"Okay."

"I mean it, Tristan! You can't even tell your mom and dad!" The other boy held up his hands in a gesture of pacification.

"Okay, okay… now what's going on?"

Y

Back in the present, Tristan's voice shook. "And Joey told me how his dad had come home totally smashed and started pounding him. Joey also told me that his dad had trouble holding jobs because of his temper. Drunk or not, Mr. Wheeler can get pretty mean. Joey knew all this, and yet he stayed because he worried what would happen to his dad. Joey… joined a gang for a little while, but was able to get out of it last year 'cause he stood up to the leader when the gang tried to hurt a little kid.

"Joey was going to face the gang alone, but I knew he was in trouble, so I helped him fight. So the gang leader told him he was out without the usual ceremony. Besides, he had Yugi, Teá and me… But Joey didn't want anybody but me knowing." The young man tried in vain to hold back his tears.

Yugi wasn't even trying. "I would've helped Joey; why didn't he tell me?" He hugged his grandfather, shoulders bobbing.

"Yuge, he didn't want anybody to know, not even you. He didn't want to chance that he might be taken away." At this, Tristan could no longer hold back his own tears and sought refuge in his parents' arms.

Mai, meanwhile, was sitting in a chair in utter shock, lost in her own thoughts. _I can't lose him now! Joey, hang on!_

Mokuba hung onto Lisa as if to a life preserver. "Lisa, Joey isn't going to..? He can't die, can he?" He asked with the anguish only a small child can ask with.

"Sweetie… Moks, I don't know."

"Can't you do anything with your powers? I mean, you're like Superman!"

Lisa took a deep breath. "We… we don't have that kind of power… Mokuba…" He was crying, and now she let a few tears fall. "We haven't been given healing powers yet."

"Lisa…" Mokuba pulled tightly against her.

"All we can do now is wait and pray."

While Tristan was telling the group what had been going on with Joey, Seto James Kaiba had taken off in his helicopter toward North Haverbrook. It would only be a fifteen-minute trip by helicopter, but it felt to the teen boy like an eternity…

Y

Lisa's feeling powerless even though she did what she was trained to do. I'm doing what I can, but I feel almost as powerless as when Yugi almost beat me at Duelist Kingdom. Joey's my friend now, and his fate is out of my hands. The most I can do is help his mother and sister… His mom may live far away, but she's still alive and loves him… I know he's probably mad at her for leaving, but maybe she didn't have a choice. And I know how I'd feel if I'd been forced to live without Mokuba for six years… I wouldn't have stayed sane if I'd had to go with Gozaburo alone.

Y

Seto sighed as he zeroed in on the landing site, a baseball field. He landed quickly and saw the limousine pulling up. He turned off the engine, let the blades stop moving, then jumped out of the copter. The limo driver moved to open the door for the two females inside of the car, and then went to open the trunk. Out of the limo stepped a young middle-aged woman with light red hair and a young girl with dark red hair. Seto gave quick instructions to the driver, then moved to the woman and girl.

"Mrs. Wheeler, I'm Seto Kaiba."

"Hello, there," the woman said, shaking his offered hand. "This is my daughter, Serenity."

"Hello, Serenity. I'm pleased to meet you. Joey's talked a lot about you."

"Mr. Kaiba, is my brother going to be all right?" Serenity burst out.

"My girlfriend doesn't know yet, and I'd like it if both of you called me Seto. You don't work for me, and this isn't the time for formality." They quickly climbed aboard the helicopter, and lifted off. "Lisa did say you needed to get to Domino as soon as you could. Whoever beat Joey up did their worst. I'm sorry we're meeting under such bad circumstances."

"You're such a nice boy," Elizabeth said softly.

"I wish I'd been nicer to Joey," he answered with a lot of regret in his voice. The rest of the fifteen-minute ride back to Domino was a silent one.

Y

Lisa shifted a little bit, Mokuba having fallen asleep on her lap. She didn't dare try moving him until Seto got back or until the little boy woke up. After Tristan had told the secret he'd held for over four years, the room had become silent. _All these powers, and there's nothing we can do, _Lisa thought miserably. The Jedi teens could feel each other's pain as well as that of their non-Jedi family members, but they also felt comfort in each other.

At 2:45 in the morning, Seto came through the waiting room door. "Leese," he said softly. He kissed her cheek swiftly and gently took his little brother into his own arms to give his love a few moments to stretch. She stood up and then a redheaded woman and her daughter entered the room.

"You must be Joey's mom," Lisa said, "I'm Lisa Hammond; we spoke on the phone."

"Elizabeth Wheeler," the older woman answered, "and this is my daughter, Serenity." Lisa shook both their hands. Elizabeth, of course, knew Sam and Amanda Taylor, but had to be introduced to the other parents and kids she hadn't met. Serenity remembered Tristan, but knew no one else. "How's my son?" the mother asked once the introductions were over.

"We haven't heard anything yet, but Joey was hurt badly when I looked at him. His left arm was broken and there was a very bad cut on his upper arm. I could count at least two broken ribs. His face was pretty banged up and I could only guess at his internal injuries. He's been in surgery for about an hour now. I have some forms for you to fill out."

Elizabeth took the clipboard Lisa handed her and asked, "How did this happen?" Lisa would've answered, but someone came to the room and did it for her.

"Doctor Hammond?" said a familiar voice. Lisa looked over and saw her contact on the City of Domino Police Department (CDPD), Officer Jessie Martin.

"Officer Martin, what's going on?"

"Is this the boy's mother?" the officer asked. Lisa nodded.

"Mrs. Wheeler, I'm Officer Jessie Martin and I've been investigating how your son ended up here. We followed the blood trail from Muto Games back to where your son resides and discovered a middle-aged man who was clearly intoxicated and had blood on his knuckles. The apartment looked as if there had been a fight, and... am I to understand you divorced this man?"

"Yes, we divorced six years ago."

"Your ex-husband admitted to 'disciplining' your son, and that the boy 'wasn't finished with his punishment.' He became rather violent and we had to use a TAZER to make him cooperate with us. It appears that your husband is the one who hurt your son."

Elizabeth Wheeler took the news calmly, all things considered. Her eyes overflowed with tears. "I should never have left him."

"Thank you, Officer Martin," Lisa said. "Do you need anything else?"

"Not now. We're waiting for the elder Mr. Wheeler to sober up and then we'll question him further. He said he understood his rights, but we want to be sure he does late in the morning. Dr. Hammond, we already have your report."

"Thank you, Officer." Martin left, and Lisa sat down again. Serenity hadn't said anything beyond "hello" when she was introduced to everyone and remained fairly quiet.

Finally she asked, "You'd tell us if my brother was going to die, wouldn't you, Dr. Hammond?" Her eyes, the same shade as Joey's, yet a bit dreamier, pleaded with Lisa.

The doctor moved close to the younger girl and said, "Yes, I would, Serenity. You deserve the truth. By the way, you can call me Lisa. I'm Joey's friend and he calls me that."

"Okay."

Elizabeth sighed softly, and then asked, "Is… is Joey still… does he still go to church?"

Lisa nodded. "He goes to Mass most Sundays, Elizabeth. You raised him right and he's had his difficulties, but he is a good boy and a really good friend." Lisa's eyes smarted.

"I was wondering," Elizabeth asked, "is Father Pat still at St. James?"

"He is and I got to meet him. Would you like me to call him?"

"Please, if anything happens," Elizabeth's voice shook, but she retained control, "I want to be sure Joey gets Last Rites."

"Okay, I'll do that, and with your permission, I'd also like to call my mother."

"Your mother?"

"If that's all right. She can get a prayer chain going in a matter of minutes, and I think Joey can use all the help he can get."

Elizabeth nodded and said, "You were raised in faith, too." Lisa nodded and headed to the phone. She dialed her mother's number first.

It was 3:05 AM when Gigi Hammond awoke to her phone ringing. "Hello?" she asked groggily.

"Mom? It's Lisa."

Gigi was instantly awake. "Honey, it's three in the morning, what's wrong?"

"Mama, you need to pray. One of my friends was taken into emergency surgery over an hour ago."

"What happened?"

Lisa told her quickly, and added, "I asked his mom if it was okay that I called you. Please, Mom, call other people."

"Okay, baby, I'll get calling."

Gigi hung up from her daughter, and her husband asked, "Gigi, what's going on?"

"I need to make some phone calls. One of Lisa's friends is in real trouble."

After Lisa hung up the phone, she made a quick call to St. James Parish. "Hello, St. James Parish, this is Father Patrick Philbin. May I help you?"

"Father, this is Lisa Hammond at Domino Children's Hospital."

"Yes, my dear. Is there something wrong?"

"Yes, Father. Joseph Wheeler is in emergency surgery. His father almost beat him to death and he is still in trouble. His mother has requested that you come, just in case you need to administer extreme unction."

"All right, I'll be there in a few minutes."

"Thank you, Father."

"Goodbye, Lisa."

The young doctor headed back to the waiting room, her friends and their families. "He's on his way, Elizabeth."

"Thank you, Lisa," she said. The teen doctor sat next to her boyfriend who still held his sleeping brother.

"When did he fall asleep?" the Kaiba Corp CEO asked.

"He felt asleep about ten minutes after you left for the airfield. Do you want to try to move him back to his room?"

"He's a pretty heavy sleeper, but I think he'd be happier staying here with us."

"Okay," Lisa said softly.

Elizabeth, who'd been sitting across from the young doctor and CEO, moved to an open seat next to them. She gently reached out and brushed Mokuba's ebony tresses lightly with her fingertips. "He's such a beautiful little boy, Seto, honey. And that hair; why is it so long?"

"He looks almost exactly like our mom," Seto quietly explained. "I saw a picture of Mom when she was the age Mokie is now, and he looks almost exactly like she looked. His eyes are a little bit different but he looks almost like her twin."

"I remember when Joey was this age. He…" Elizabeth visibly struggled for control, feeling immense guilt for leaving Joey to his fate.

"Elizabeth," Lisa said softly, "it wasn't your fault."

Serenity moved close to her mother, and the woman kept trying to pull herself together. "In a way, Lisa, it is my fault. Jake hadn't gone after Joey or Serenity, though I was always afraid he would. Every time he went after me, he managed to wriggle out of going to jail. So when I left with Serenity… I had to leave Joey…"

Y

Jake and I got married when we were eighteen, fresh out of high school. I got through Domino Community College and he got through Domino Technical College. I became a receptionist and he started at an auto body shop. When we were finally old enough, Jake began drinking. He'd had a temper before that and was controlling, but I didn't see it for what it was. And when he started drinking, he got worse. He'd start fights with me for reasons known only to him, but they didn't get physical until Joey was in preschool. I know I should've gotten out sooner, but I wanted the kids to have both parents. And as far as I knew, Jake hadn't cheated on me, but I found out otherwise one day.

Y

Elizabeth Wheeler paused for a minute. "I don't know how much I can tell you…" Lisa glanced at her boyfriend and their friends.

"Elizabeth, there's nothing you can tell us that we haven't heard. Seto's adoptive father abused him in different ways and he told us everything. If you want to talk, we're all here."

"So are we," Solomon Muto added, while the other parents nodded.

"Liz," Amanda Taylor said, "Lisa's right. And no one's going to blame you…" The redheaded mother took courage from all of this and continued…

Y

The week that I left was the week I really discovered Jake was being unfaithful. He'd come back from a business trip and I was glad that the kids had had a peaceful weekend where they hadn't been awakened by us fighting. Jake left his suitcase in the living room as he usually did and I took it into our bedroom to clean it out. I found his dirty clothes, and then I felt something in the suitcase pocket. I pulled out what was in there… It was condoms. When I confronted him, he accused _me _of being unfaithful, but he didn't deny it. He hit me a few times and I hoped Joey and Serenity hadn't heard, but when I went to check on them, Serenity had fallen with Joey in his room and I could tell they'd been crying.

I knew I had to leave, and I called someone the next morning. I had a rough day at work because I had bruises on my face again. My employer reminded me that my job depended on my appearance at the front desk, so I knew I didn't have much longer. When I got home, I started dinner, and then Jake got home. "**Liz! Where's my beer**?!" He hadn't asked me for one, but if I pointed that out, he'd get ugly really quick. So I got it, which turned out to be his third in an hour as he'd stopped off at a bar not too far from the house. He looked at me and demanded, "Why are you lookin' at me that way?" I didn't understand what he meant.

"Jake, honey, I was handing you your beer…"

"You...!" And he began calling me some horrible names. The kids were home, and I tried to calm Jake down.

"Jake, please, the kids!"

"**Oh, the kids!** **The stupid kids!** **All you care about is the stupid blanking kids!**" He hit me, and I just stood there. "Fight back, you..!" He hit me again, and then sat in his chair, muttering obscenities until he fell asleep.

I went back into the kitchen and got an ice pack. I was glad I'd called the lawyer because I could leave in less than a week. She was writing the divorce papers. I sat down for a minute and heard the kitchen door open. "Mom?" It was Joey, looking at me in concern. "Did Daddy hurt you again?"

I hugged him closed and said softly, "It'll be okay, sweetheart. I'm seeing somebody tomorrow, and hopefully Daddy won't be able to hurt me anymore…"

"You promise, Mom?" I nodded, not knowing what I'd have to do to keep Serenity and me safe…

Y

Elizabeth was really crying now. "I had to leave Joey behind because since there was no proof that Jake was physically abusing the kids, I wouldn't be able to get sole custody. Jake made it clear he didn't care what happened to Serenity, but he said if I took Joey, Jake would hunt us down and kill us, beginning with Serenity. He'd kill both the kids and then kill me last." Serenity hugged her mother when Elizabeth couldn't talk for a moment. Lisa could sense outright anger and sadness from everyone in the group. Seto, in particular, was so mad that it was probably a good thing that Jacob Robert Wheeler was in Domino County Jail.

When Elizabeth regained control, she continued, "About three days after I got the divorce papers, I took Serenity. Joey was at Tristan's and I got Serenity's and my things into our car. She realized exactly what was happening and I had to tell her we had to go without Joey. And then she started screaming for him and he was running behind the car. Serenity was pleading with me to stop and take him too, but I didn't have a choice. I had to leave my nine-year-old son behind, and I cried all that night after Serenity was asleep. What kind of a mother am I?" She almost whispered the last.

"A strong one," Lisa answered. "Elizabeth, you had no choice but to get out of there. If you'd stayed, you'd be the one in emergency surgery or you'd be in the morgue or in Domino Cemetery. Don't blame yourself, please… Joey's a fighter. He's not going to give up so easily."

"Elizabeth," Seto added quietly, "Lisa's right. It wasn't your fault, and Joey's not going to give up. Mai looked up at the clock which read 4:45.

"How long has it been?" she asked.

Lisa looked up, and answered, "It's been about three hours."

Father Pat had arrived, and prayed with the group. "May the Master Physician guide the surgeons' hands," he added when he finished.

"Amen," Lisa responded, knowing that all they could do was wait.

_Yet another chapter that's emotionally draining. I've been lucky enough to have a loving family where abuse doesn't happen. What I know comes from what I've read and watched on TV. If I've used any incorrect religious terms, please tell me so I can correct them. Thanks to my faithful readers, and please leave a review!_

_Next time: Will Joey be all right? Stay tuned!_


	22. Waiting Chapter 18 Part I

Chapter XVIII Part I: Waiting

_Hello again, classic YGO fans! Thanks to Invader101 for the review and to The Akemi Queen of Sakia for her PM! Well, the last two chapters have probably been the most emotional and dark I've written before. I've done research on Catholic prayer so it's accurate and I hope I wrote everything right. I'm Protestant Christian and I want to be accurate when it comes to my Catholic counterparts. _

_Okay, and now the recap… Last time on "The Jedi League of Duelists," Joey made his way to Muto Games and was found by Yugi who had no idea that his best friend was a victim of child abuse. The young Jedi teens got to Domino Children's Hospital where Joey was raced into emergency surgery. Seto Kaiba flew Joey's mom and sister from North Haverbrook to Domino, and Joey's priest was called in to administer extreme unction/ Last Rites. Will those Last Rites be needed? Stick around, and I'll show you (Is anyone going to get this?)! Disclaimer: Peach Wookiee doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh! or any other TV show, or book. She only owns Lisa, her own characters and the plot. __**Author's note, over five years later: **__No major changes, except some rewordings and section breaks._

It had been nearly an hour since Father Patrick Philbin had finished his prayers for Joseph Aaron Wheeler and four hours since the teen boy with honey-brown eyes and golden blonde hair had been raced into emergency surgery. No one in the waiting room at Domino Children's Hospital slept. No one that is, except for Mokuba Richard Kaiba, who slept in his brother's warm arms. The adults in the room sat like sentinels, while the teens sat reflecting their inner turmoil on their faces. The teens that had Jedi talent could sense their friend fighting for his life in the surgical bay.

At 5:45 AM, the sensitive teens felt a presence heading down the hallway, and then everyone who was awake heard footsteps approaching. Lisa knew the person who was coming into the room, and sure enough… "Lisa?"

"Hi, George." Nurse George O'Malley stepped into the room.

"Umm, Mrs. Wheeler?" he asked. Elizabeth stood up.

"I'm Elizabeth. Doctor...?"

"Nurse, actually. George O'Malley, and you can call me George."

"How's my son, George?" Everyone looked at the nurse, wanting the information.

George took a deep breath and helped Elizabeth back to her seat. "Dr. Rhodes sent me to update you. The surgery is going well, but it's going to be a couple more hours. Joey has a lot of broken bones and a lot of internal damage. Dr. Rhodes said it's nothing short of miraculous that he made it to his friend's house. She said Joey is really strong and that'll work in his favor."

"So what's wrong with him?" the worried mother asked.

"Quite a bit, but I can't tell you. Dr. Rhodes can tell you when she finishes up. With any luck, she'll be able to tell you a lot more by then."

"Thank you, George," the mother said, and George quickly headed back to the surgical bay.

George O'Malley quickly scrubbed himself, replaced his gloves and surgical mask, and re-entered the surgical bay. "I'm back, doctors," he said.

"Clamp," Dr. Bailey requested. He handed it to her.

"Who hurt this boy?" Dr. Bailey asked as she patched the teen boy back together with Doctors Rhodes and Truesdale.

"Doctors, I heard it was the boy's dad that did this," George answered. The three doctors looked up, shock evident in their eyes. "Lisa didn't hear me walk by at 2:45. I heard the police officer that was there tell everyone what happened. It sounds this has been going on for quite a few years now."

"How could anybody do this to their own child?" Jean Louise Rhodes asked in disgust.

"I ask myself that question every time a kid is brought in here like this, Jean," Miranda Bailey answered.

"Oh man, this poor boy," Darla said softly.

"At least his friends and guardian angel looked out for him tonight," Miranda observed gently. And the three doctors and nurse labored to save a teenage boy's life…

Y

Mokuba Richard Kaiba was slightly disoriented when he woke up. _Where am I?_ The first thing that he was aware of was his arms and legs, as they were itchy and heavy from his casts. Next he realized he was sitting in someone's lap… He smelled the familiar spicy scent of his brother's deodorant. _Seto…_ And then it came back to the small boy. _Joey…_

Seto Kaiba sensed his brother waking up and hugged him. "Hey, Mokie."

"Big brother… Is Joey..? I mean, have you heard anything yet?" The little boy looked up at his brother, and then looked over at the young woman he was coming to regard as a big sister. "Lisa, please tell me…"

"Mokuba… we don't know yet, sweetheart," she said softly. "George came at 5:45 and gave us an update. He said the surgery was going well, but he couldn't tell us much more than that. He said it was a miracle that Joey made it to Yugi's at all."

"Lisa?"

"Yeah, sweetie?"

"Where is Yugi?" Mokuba had taken a look around the room to see everyone sitting around the room; everyone, that is, except for the King of Games.

Seto handed Mokuba to Lisa and said, "Don't worry, little brother, I'll find him." He hugged Lisa and Mokuba and headed out of the room. Mokuba looked after his brother, awed that Seto would go looking for his rival, not to duel, but to help.

Yugi, in fact, was in the men's room. He'd had a terrible night. Though he could sense Joey's life force at least staying stable, the small teen boy feared that he'd suddenly feel his best friend weaken and die.

_Yugi? _Yami asked, his spectral form visible to his counterpart. _Can I help?_

_Yami, _Yugi sent back, _what if Joey loses his memory? Or what if he dies?_

_Yugi, we don't know what's going to happen. We have to hope for the best and as you have been teaching me, to pray for the best as well._

_Yami… _Yugi began to cry almost inconsolably. It was then that Seto Kaiba found him.

Seto had headed down the hall, sensing Yugi's presence and detecting the other presence. And so he stopped at the men's room and entered.

"Yugi? Are you in here?" he asked as he entered. Yugi was standing at the sink, not saying a word, tears streaming down his face. Inexplicably, the blue-eyed teen CEO was again reminded of his little brother and saw how Lisa could easily view the amethyst-eyed teen boy as Mokuba sometimes. "Yugi?" he asked again, "Can I help?"

Yugi had withdrawn inside himself, and Yami felt powerless to help his counterpart. _What can I do? _And then Seto had entered the bathroom. _Not what I expected, _he argued with himself, _but maybe Seto can help._ Summoning his own thoughts, the spirit of the Millennium Puzzle sent to his rival, _Seto?_

Whatever Seto Kaiba had expected, it wasn't that Yugi's counterpart would contact him. _Uh… are you who I think you are? Are you the other Yugi?_ Seto closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, he found himself where his soon-to-be fiancée had found herself over two weeks previously; in the landscape of Yugi Muto's mind.

As Lisa had seen two weeks before, Seto saw the two sides of Yugi's mind, but instead of seeing two Yugi Mutos, he only saw the taller one. "Hello, Seto. I'm sorry to call you into our mind like this, but Yugi needs help."

"Aren't you Yugi, though?" Seto asked, a little bit confused, though he'd learned to sense the other presence in Yugi's mind.

"Yes and no. Yugi is me, and I am Yugi, and yet we're two different people in certain ways. I'm sorry I can't explain it further. You may call me Yami, all right?"

Seto nodded, and asked, "So Yami, who have I been dueling?"

"You've been dueling both of us… sort of."

"Sort of?"

"Well, when one duels, both do. The one never truly duels alone. Does that help at all?" the spirit asked.

"Yeah, it does. Lisa told me we all have different aspects to our personalities; it's just that Yugi's is a bit more obvious. So what's wrong?"

"Yugi has withdrawn inside his mind and I don't know how to help him. He's very frightened that Joey might…" Yugi's taller doppelganger broke off, worried himself. Seto sighed.

"We big brothers don't always have the answers, do we?" Yami looked up at the blue-eyed boy, confused for a second, then understanding.

"You see me as his big brother?" Seto nodded. Yami pondered this for a second, then said, "You'd know, wouldn't you? So, what can I—?" And then they each heard a familiar voice.

"Seto? Yami? Can I come in?" Lisa's voice inquired.

"Yes," the two young men yelled. They recognized they were telepathically sending to her, and sure enough, she was in Yugi's mind in a second.

"What's going on, you two?" she asked.

"Yugi won't talk to me," Yami said, "and I don't know how to help."

"Can we go in his side of the room?" Lisa asked. Yami nodded and the three teens walked over to the modern metal door.

"It shouldn't be locked," the spirit of the Millennium Puzzle said. "Yugi doesn't do that," and he placed his hand on the handle. It opened and Lisa, Seto and Yami were in Yugi's mental room. Lisa and Seto couldn't help but smile. It was a bright and happy room, filled with stuffed toys, giant dice and other game pieces were on the floor. There was also a table in the room and on that table was a framed photograph. Lisa picked it up and she and Seto looked at it. It was of Yugi sitting contentedly in a sunny place. Behind him was Yami, while on his right was his grandfather and on his left was Teá. Surrounding them were Joey, Tristan, Mai, Duke, Bakura, Lisa, Seto and Mokuba.

"This is a really happy place," the teen doctor remarked and her boyfriend nodded.

"It is, most of the time, but right now…" Yami said and trailed off. It was then the two teens who weren't normally in Yugi's mind heard him crying. "He's up there." Yami gestured to a loft that was shrouded in darkness.

"Let me try," Lisa said softly. "Yugi? Yugi, can we come up?" Yugi's tear-streaked face appeared over the railing of the loft.

"Lisa? Seto? Yami, what are they doing here?" Yugi asked, hiccupping a little bit.

"Aibou, I asked them here. May we come up?" Yami asked.

_Aibou?_ Lisa sent to Seto.

_It means "partner" in Japanese,_ Seto explained, _and it's an affectionate meaning, like how Mokie means it when he calls me big brother. _Lisa nodded, understanding. Yugi also nodded to his spirit buddy, allowing the three bigger teens up into his shadowy sanctuary. Lisa climbed up first, followed by Seto and then Yami.

"Hi, Yugi," Lisa said as she climbed into the loft. The small teen boy was sitting cross-legged while holding a Red Eyes Black Dragon plush toy in his arms. The boy was dressed in his high school uniform, and he had definitely been crying. Seto and Yami climbed into the loft and Yami crawled over to Yugi to give the smaller boy a hug.

"How did you guys get in here?" Yugi asked, Yami keeping his arm around his small twin.

"Yami asked me for help," Seto explained, sitting cross-legged as Yugi and Yami were doing, "and so I ended up in here. Then Lisa came when she realized where I was."

"Oh," Yugi said, looking up at Yami. "Why did you-?"

"You wouldn't talk to me, and I got worried," Yami admitted. "Yugi, I can't ask for help like everybody else can. And when you don't talk to me, I know something's really wrong." Yugi nodded in understanding, and then looked at the Red Eyes toy in his hands.

"I'm really scared about Joey. Lisa, you'd tell me if he was going to… wouldn't you?" He looked at Lisa, pleading, and again both Seto and Lisa were reminded of Mokuba when he was upset. It was mostly because Yugi looked younger than his years, especially now, and Lisa's lips quirked into a small smile. Yugi noticed and he and his spirit buddy sensed the change in her mood.

"What is it?" Yugi asked curiously, crawling over to her.

"Sorry, Yugi," she said, realizing her face had changed. "I would tell you. But that's not why I'm smiling. I just realized how easy it was for Seto to underestimate you… You looked a lot like Mokuba just now."

"I did? How?"

Seto, who hadn't really realized it himself until now, spoke up. "You had the same look he has when he's scared. That and you're about his height…"

Yugi sighed, and Yami was trying not to laugh. Yugi turned his head, looking daggers at the spirit of the Millennium Puzzle. "What?! Yami!"

"I… see it too, young one!" Yami was laughing now and smiling.

"**Hey**!" Yugi shouted, sounding frustrated, but not menacing. He tried tackling the spirit, but found himself being tackled and then tickled. If his outer self wasn't laughing, his inner self definitely was.

"Feeling better?" Lisa asked softly when Yugi wriggled free.

"Yeah, but you would tell me, wouldn't you?" he asked, his expression suddenly desperate.

"Yes, sweetie, I would. But you can sense for yourself how Joey's doing," she said. Yugi took a deep breath and reached out for Joey. He could sense his best friend's life force, still weak, but strengthening.

"He feels a little stronger," the small boy said. The other three teens looked at each other, and nodded.

"Why don't we climb down out of here?" Lisa asked. Seto climbed down first, so he could help his love down. Then came Lisa, Yugi and Yami. When they were all down on the ground level of Yugi's mental room, the small boy went and hugged his counterpart, then found himself being hugged by two others. "Yugi, it's going to be okay, somehow," Lisa said gently, kneeling to his level.

"Thanks, guys," the small King of Games said, looking up at him. The room dissolved. Yugi found himself standing next to Seto in the bathroom. "Thanks, Seto," he said. The two young men walked out of the bathroom, and Lisa was standing outside the door.

"Feel better?" she asked, and Yugi nodded.

"Where's Mokuba?" he asked.

"I left him with Elizabeth. She said she'd hold him while I went looking for you two." The two boys nodded, understanding. They arrived back in the room at 7:30. Mokuba was asleep again, and Seto gently took him from Elizabeth's arms. And so, another wait began.

Y

At 9:20 AM, Dr. Jean Louise "Scout" Rhodes drew a cleansing breath as she finished closing up the surgical opening she'd had to make in the teen boy lying before her. "What do you think, Miranda?" she asked.

Miranda Bailey's cocoa-brown skin was pale and her hair, normally in a calm pageboy, was messed up. "I think, Dr. Rhodes, that this kid is built of sterner stuff. You'd better survive, kid, after we've patched you up so well. Go tell his mother, Jean. Darla, you need to freshen up and then go to the birthing center."

"Got it," Darla answered, taking off her surgical cap when she left the room, revealing very fluffy blue hair because she hadn't had time to pull her hair back when she'd been called into emergency surgery.

Dr. Bailey looked at George O'Malley. "Let's take him into the shock-trauma ICU for the next five hours. No one is going to see him except medical personnel for six hours. I hope we don't have to go back in there, O'Malley."

"Yes, Dr. Bailey."

At 9:30, Scout made her way down to the waiting room where she knew Joey Wheeler's friends and family were waiting for news. "Mrs. Wheeler?" she asked as she entered the room.

Elizabeth looked up, but didn't stand as she was quite simply exhausted. "How's my boy, Dr. Rhodes?"

"It was a very long surgery, but we think his chances are good. When he came in, we weren't so sure. His left forearm is broken, and we can't set it yet because the swelling hasn't peaked. That injury to his left upper arm; Lisa, if you hadn't done what you did, Joey probably would've bled out where you found him. That cut just barely missed an artery. Anyway, he has five broken ribs and we did have to remove his spleen. The way he was beaten and kicked caused a lot of damage. And it looked to me as if there had been previous internal injuries that had healed but were reopened by this attack. We dealt with those injuries and I think the repairs will hold. However, we won't know for sure for another five hours. He is in our shock-trauma ICU right now, and we can't let you see him just yet. He's a very sick boy right now, but I think his chances of survival have greatly improved."

"Oh, thank God," Elizabeth said softly, hugging her daughter close. "So we can't see him yet?"

"Not yet. The shock-trauma ward is kept as clean as an OR, and we don't want it contaminated in case we'd have to go back in. I hope it doesn't become necessary. Joey is unconscious right now, as well, and he probably will be until tomorrow morning. You may want to go and freshen up as soon as we know for sure."

"All right," Elizabeth said, "I think I'll wait. Serenity…"

"Mom, I'm staying, too. I don't want to leave my brother. I know he wouldn't leave me." Her mother nodded, understanding.

"Mokuba," Scout said, "today's the day you get your casts off and we see how you're doing. Sweetie, what's the matter?" For Mokuba had started crying.

"Joey said he'd be here when my casts came off. He said he would…"

"Mokuba," Lisa said, placing her arm around him (he was sitting between her and Seto on a soft couch; he was a small boy, but he got heavy), "sweetheart, Joey's still with us even if he won't be in the room when you get your casts off. Reach out for him, okay?"

Mokuba took a deep breath and closed his blue-gray eyes. He could already sense everyone very well and used his abilities to find the strand of life that was Joey Wheeler's. _Joey, where are you?_ he called out. And then, Mokuba found him. The little boy opened his eyes, smiling even with tears in his eyes. "Okay, I'll get my casts off."

"Mokuba, can I stand in for Joey?" Mai asked. Lisa looked at the older girl, noticing just how pale she was. Mai, pale to begin with, was white to the lips. She hadn't put on make-up when she'd raced out of bed early this morning and was clad in her rather expensive purple silk pajamas. All the teenagers except for Serenity were in pajamas as they hadn't had time to change when Joey was in trouble. Mokuba looked at Mai and nodded.

"Yugi, could you help, too?" the nine-year-old asked.

Yugi, a bit surprised, nodded. "Why me?" the teen boy asked. "Why not Seto?"

"He's helping, too, but you're like Joey's brother. So is that okay?" Yugi nodded again, smiling a little, but tearing up.

_Don't die, Joey. I couldn't stand it if you did,_ the spiky-haired teen thought/sent.

It didn't take long for Lisa to remove Mokuba's casts and it was a very quick matter for her to take the little boy to X-ray to check his arms and legs. "So do I have to have casts on again?" Mokuba asked as his doctor and her colleague examined the pictures of his arms and legs.

"Well," Scout said, "it looks like your arms have healed enough to be out of the casts, but they'll have to be in bandages for a few days. But your legs are going to have to be in casts just a little bit longer, Mokuba, okay? And you get to pick your casts again. Do you want Blue Eyes White Dragons for your legs?" To the doctors' mutual surprise, Mokuba shook his head, and not half an hour later, Lisa placed fiberglass cast covers bearing the Red Eyes Black Dragon on Mokuba's legs.

_Wow… This chapter, as I originally had it, was 7808 words and 18 pages long. I decided to break it here because Joey's fate is still unknown. How he does is resolved in the next part of this chapter. I don't want to spoil you for what else will happen, so stay tuned and keep on reviewing!_


	23. First Sight Chapter 18 Part II

Chapter XVIII Part II: First Sight

_Hello, again, everyone! Here is part II of chapter 18. I'm posting it with chapter 18 part I because I don't want to leave the story dangling… Enjoy! I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh or any related characters. I definitely don't own Grey's Anatomy or any of its characters, and I certainly don't own any characters from Desperate Housewives. I just think Bree would be an awesome district attorney!_

_**Author's notes, over five years later: **__Minor rewordings._

At 3:20 PM, everyone was finally allowed to see Joey as he had been moved into a traditional ICU. Solomon Muto, Sam and Amanda Taylor and Ben and Rose Gardner had left for home as soon as the news came that Joey was stable. The teens had all insisted that parents and grandparent go home and rest. This, Scout Rhodes reflected, made her job of getting people into Joey's room much easier. "You'll be able to go in, but only a few at a time," Scout said. "The room is a bit cramped. Mrs. Wheeler, would you and your daughter like to go first?"

Elizabeth nodded, and said, "Mai, Yugi, do you want to come in with us?" The two amethyst-eyed teens looked at each other and back at Elizabeth, then nodded. The two followed the mother and daughter into the room where Joey lay unconscious.

Joey was in a hospital bed, an oxygen mask over his nose and mouth and different tubes coming out of different parts of his body. What had been a small but noticeable bruise on his left cheek twenty-four hours ago was now huge. He was sporting a black eye on the left side of his face and his left arm was heavily bandaged. He was wearing a paper hospital gown and was covered from the waist down. His expression was pained, as if his living nightmare was plaguing him still.

Serenity was the first to speak. "Big brother? Joey, it's Serenity. I'm here. You're going to be okay. Daddy's in jail and he can't hurt you." Serenity couldn't say more.

Then Elizabeth took her son's right hand. "Joey, sweetie, it's Mom. I'm sorry, baby, I'm so sorry." Elizabeth couldn't talk any more.

Then Mai took Joey's hand. "Joey, hon, it's Mai. I'm here." For some reason, Mai forgot that Joey's mother, sister and surrogate brother were in the room, and spilled her guts. "I hope you hear this. When I first saw you, I thought you were cute, but I did think your wardrobe needed a visit from Carson Kressley. I dismissed you as just another dumb guy, but then I dueled you. I couldn't get you out of my head after that. I didn't want to believe you actually had beaten me on your own, so I made Rex duel you and said what I did to Yugi. But I realized you were good on your own.

"And then that night, you… and your friends… treated me like a friend. And then you were willing to take on a guy twice your size just because he hurt me. You probably would've gotten your butt kicked, but you were willing to do that for me. You… Joey…" Mai lost it at that moment, and Elizabeth gently put her arm around the tall blonde girl.

Yugi couldn't say anything beyond, "Joey, I'm here." He held Joey's hand and cried softly.

_Yugi,_ Yami sent, _aibou, are you going to be okay? _

_Yeah, Yami… I just hate seeing Joey like this… _

_Me, too, Yugi, me too…_

After Yugi, Serenity, Mai and Elizabeth, Teá and Tristan went into the room with Lisa. Other than uttering words of comfort and encouragement to Joey, the dancer and the young man said virtually nothing. Then Duke went into the room.

"Hey, Joey, I know I apologized before for the way I treated you, but here I go again. I'm really sorry I pulled you into that duel, and I am really, _really _sorry I put you in that dog suit. When you wake up, if you want, I'll put the dog suit on and stand in the center of town and admit what a jerk I was."

"Feel better?" Lisa asked when he finished. Duke nodded, looking a little shaky.

"I was a real bonehead the day we met. That was the day Mokuba got hurt," he reminded her. She'd seen replays of the duel that led to Yugi kicking Duke's butt.

"He forgave you, you know."

"Yeah, but after something like this…" Duke trailed off. And then it was Seto and Mokuba's turn.

"Mokie," Lisa said, "Joey's pretty banged up and he's not awake right now. He's also got quite a few tubes attached to him so he might look a little scary."

The little boy, carried in his brother's arms, looked at the young doctor and then to his brother. "I want to see him. He saw me when I wasn't okay, Lisa." Lisa looked at her boyfriend, who gave a tiny affirmative nod.

"Okay, Mokuba," the girl said, "I just wanted to warn you." The little boy nodded, and the three went into the room. Seto sat down in a chair on Joey's right and Mokuba took the blonde boy's hand.

"Hi, Joey," Mokuba said softly, then held the older boy's hand against his face. It was the same gesture Lisa had seen the little boy make with his brother when Seto had been sick with the flu. "I… I wish I could've saved you like you saved me in the virtual video game. He used the Red Eyes Black Dragon when the Big Five tried to kill me, Lisa."

The girl's eyebrows raised as she looked at her beloved. "It's true," Seto said. "They were going to kill Mokuba and Joey used his Red Eyes to shield Mokuba. He didn't hesitate where I did. And then he got virtually taken down. Joey, I owe you… for acting when I didn't. You didn't sell out your humanity, and when you wake up, I've got a lot to make up for. I'm sorry, Joey."

Lisa laid her hand on Seto's shoulder. "He knows, and you can tell him when he wakes up." The boys nodded. After a few more minutes, they exited the room and the group gathered around Lisa.

"Guys, now that we know Joey's going to come out of this, I think at the very least we need to go get some rest and freshen up. There's plenty of room at the mansion, if you all want to stay close. You can also get a fresh change of clothes if you need them." The young doctor noticed their expressions and said, "I know you don't want to leave, but we all need some rest or we'll do him no good because we'll get sick. So let's go back there, get ourselves cleaned up and take a rest, okay?" Everyone nodded. Seto and Lisa took Mokuba back to his room, where the little boy fell asleep almost instantly, and then everyone headed down to the waiting limo.

The ride back to the mansion was quiet. Everyone was tired, both physically and mentally. Seto had called ahead to the staff to let them know he was bringing several guests in addition to Mrs. and Miss Wheeler. "I've got rooms set up for everyone now. You can all have your own rooms or go two to a room if you want," the teen CEO said. "Elizabeth, Serenity, I have you two in a room together. I'm assuming you don't want to be in separate rooms, but if you want to be…"

"Oh, no, Seto," Elizabeth answered, "Serenity and I'll be fine. Mai, would you like to be in the room with us, honey?" Mai, so exhausted, looked up in surprise and then nodded. For some reason, it comforted the eighteen-year-old girl that she'd be sleeping in the same room with her boyfriend's mom and sister. The limo finally arrived at the mansion, and the tired group made their way up to their rooms.

"Lisa, could I talk to you for a minute?" Seto asked. As tired as he was, and as tired as he knew his beloved was, Seto felt he had to ask Lisa the question he'd have loved to ask her yesterday evening, but it had taken him too long to find what he'd been looking for in his safe.

"Sure, Seto, but make it quick, okay? I'm going to get a bath and take a nap."

"Leese, why don't you take that bath, get your pajamas on, and then come to my room?" Seto offered. "Take your time."

Lisa called back, "Okay!" The teen boy smiled, realizing that his dream was about to come to fruition.

Meanwhile, everyone else got settled into their rooms. Teá found herself in a bedroom decorated in various shades of pink, while Yugi found himself in a room decorated in sunset colors. Duke was in a room of green, while Tristan was in a room decorated in red. They took showers, got their pajamas on and fell asleep in the space of fifteen minutes.

Meanwhile, Elizabeth, Serenity and Mai all found themselves in a large room decorated in cream and brown. "Oh, my, Serenity, I think this is bigger than our whole apartment in North Haverbrook."

"Yeah, Mom, this is incredible. Don't you think so, Mai? Mai? What's wrong?"

Mai had started crying. The usually cool and collected Mai Valentine had given way to her emotions. Perhaps it was the emotional trauma of the past several hours. Perhaps it was because she was so tired. Or perhaps it was something else she just couldn't acknowledge yet. But for whatever reason, Mai was crying. Serenity and her mother put their arms around Mai as she cried herself out.

"Let it out, sweetheart," Elizabeth said, "just let it out. It's okay to cry, just let it out." She patted Mai's back as she would Serenity's if her daughter was crying like this. Though Elizabeth had no Jedi abilities, she could sense Mai's distress. Finally, the blonde girl's crying abated.

"I…I'm sorry, Elizabeth," Mai started when she had control of herself.

"Honey, you don't have to apologize," the mother answered. "Mai…I know how you feel about Joey; he's grown up while I've been gone, and you obviously care about him. It's okay to be upset."

"It's all right, Mai," Serenity added. Mai looked up and looked into Serenity's eyes. They were like Joey's but had a dreamier quality to them. "He's going to be okay."

"Thanks, guys," she said softly. They each took turns getting showers and getting on clean pajamas. Then, the three women fell asleep together in the great big bed in the room.

Y

Lisa walked down the hallway to Seto's room. _I wonder what he wants… he seems so serious and yet so nervous._ Seto was keeping his thoughts from her, and she knew better than to try to probe. _I'll find out soon enough_, she reasoned.

Seto, meanwhile, was sitting down on his bed, waiting for his love to come back. _She'll be here in a sec. I just hope I do this right._ He held a small blue velvet case in his hand. It was almost a century old and what was inside it was equally old. The object had been given to his great-grandma Delaney by his great-grandfather, then Grandpa Delaney had given it to Grandma Delaney. Dad had given it to Mom, and now Seto wanted to give this to Lisa. _I know she's going to love it because it has so much history. I hope I'm right._

Lisa came into the room, and Seto thought he'd never seen his love looking more beautiful. She was wearing a blue Asian brocade set of pajamas, decorated with butterflies. By standards of the press and TV, Lisa was not an extraordinarily beautiful young woman. And yet there was something that made her irresistible to Seto James Kaiba. Quite simply, he loved her. And at this moment, he hoped she loved him as much.

"Thanks for coming in here, Leese. I know you're tired." He swallowed nervously.

"Honey, what is it? I can sense you're nervous about something. Unless you're breaking up with me," she said teasingly as she sat down next to him, "you have nothing to be nervous about."

Seto smiled at this, and looked into Lisa's summer-sky blue eyes. "Well, I'm definitely not breaking up with you, babe. Lisa, I talked to Mokuba and your parents about what I'm going to ask you, because I needed to ask them. You are the most wonderful woman I have ever met. Do you love me?"

"Of course I do. Wh-..?" And then she realized what he was about to ask her. Rather than jump to him, she held herself in.

"Lisa, I love you and…" He took a nervous breath. He was so nervous, he had to pause, and Lisa gently took his right hand in her two smaller hands. She placed the back of his hand against her chest and massaged the hand with her hands, trying to relax him.

"Seto, honey, it's okay. Whatever you want to ask me, just ask what's in your heart." She gave him her calming, loving smile that he'd begun to know on that day at the beach about a month previously.

"Okay… Lisa, I want to spend the rest of our lives together." He got her to release his hand and he used his abilities to move the box from his dresser to his hand. "If you say yes and you don't like this, we can pick a different one." He caught the box and opened it to reveal a ring.

Lisa, in some ways, had known this was coming. She was sure Seto loved her enough to want to commit and not just for physical attraction. She read him completely as he had dropped his mental shields to her and his feelings were obvious. She looked at him, unable to speak, and nodded.

"Is that a yes?" When she nodded a second time, he grinned. "That's a yes! We're going to get married!"

Lisa regained her powers of speech, and said, "We are. Now let me take a look at that ring." He handed the box and the ring to her. The ring was made of white gold and it had one large diamond with a smaller diamond on either side. "This is beautiful," she said softly.

Seto's grin had subsided to a soft, loving smile again. "This is the fourth generation that a Delaney man has given the ring to the woman he's going to marry. I thought you'd appreciate the history of it, babe."

Lisa could sense the love of three generations past in the little ring, and asked, "How long were they married?"

"I'm not sure, but no one got divorced and they were all happily married. Let's see if it fits you," he said, taking the ring from the box and placing it on the ring finger of her left hand. It fit perfectly. He pulled her into a deep, passionate kiss... which was broken when Lisa yawned.

"I'm sorry, honey," she said tiredly.

"It's okay, we're both tired. I'm going to go to the bathroom, and I'll walk you back to your room, all right?"

"Okay," she answered. He headed into the bathroom, smiling. Lisa, though, stretched out on the bed. _I'll just stretch out for a minute._ She was asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow.

Three minutes later, Seto came out of the bathroom. He was tired, warm in his blue silk pajamas and willing to take Lisa back to her room. They were both very tired, he knew, and part of him had wanted to wait to ask her, but then he reflected with the group's life, no time would ever be perfect. "Leese?" He looked over at the bed and saw his love fast asleep. _I won't move her_, he thought. Instead, he padded quietly over to the linen cupboard in his room, pulled out a warm blanket and covered her with it. He opened his side of the bed, snuggling down, and then curved himself around Lisa's sleeping form. "Sleep well, Leese," Seto whispered sleepily, and within two minutes was dreaming.

The teens and Elizabeth slept for a little over two hours, woke up, staggered into their bathrooms and got dressed (Lisa quietly headed back to her bedroom to do that) and met up in the hall. "Everybody sleep okay?" Seto asked. They all nodded. "I thought we could quick grab a bite of dinner before we headed back to the hospital. We could pick up something at the drive-through if you all wanted and take it there."

"I'm fine with that," Elizabeth said. "Are you kids okay with that?" Everyone nodded. And then Elizabeth caught the sparkle of the diamond on Lisa's finger. "What a lovely ring you're wearing, Lisa. I don't remember you wearing it before."

Teá realized, and asked, looking rather surprised, "Did he ask you to..?" Lisa looked at Seto, who gently squeezed her right hand, and both looked back at Teá and nodded. "Oh, my gosh! You guys are getting married!" the dancer squealed and Lisa found herself tackled by the three teen girls in the room. Seto found himself the recipient of handshakes and shoulder claps.

"Congratulations, Seto, I hope you guys are happy together," Yugi said, smiling. "Does Mokuba know?"

"Yeah, I talked to him and asked him what he thought. He loves it that Lisa's going to be with us permanently. And I asked her parents for permission yesterday morning."

"That's old-fashioned," Duke said, wrinkling his nose slightly.

"Yeah, but I need their permission," Seto pointed out. "I may be an emancipated minor, but Lisa isn't and if we decide to get married now, Lisa's mom and dad need to give their blessing."

The kids and adult went to the limo (Roland and Bryce were with Mokuba at Seto's insistence) and after stopping off at Taco Bell, the group arrived at the hospital to wait for Joey to come to…

_Interlude Music—"Returning to Vulcan"—Star Trek III, written by James Horner_

The last thing that Joseph Aaron Wheeler could clearly remember was walking out of his apartment in incredible pain. Everything after that was a blank. Right at this moment, he could feel himself floating in a dark, warm and cozy place where there was no pain. And then he could hear voices calling out to him…

_Come back to us, Joey,_ eight voices called, _you're safe and no one's going to hurt you. Come back to us._ And then Joey saw a point of light in the darkness. He swam toward that light and was swallowed by it. And then, he was in a gray place…

He could feel his body, and someone was holding his hand. "I think he's coming out of it." Lisa's voice. "Guys, talk to him. He can hear us clearly now. C'mon, Joey, you're going to be okay…"

"Joey, please wake up." _Yuge?_

"Big brother, please come back to us…" _Serenity? It can't be…_

"Joey… hon, please…" _Mai… _Joey squeezed the slim, very feminine hand clasped in his right hand and was gratified with a gasp. "Lisa! He…"

"I saw," said Lisa's voice. "Mai, let go of his hand and someone needs to dim the lights… Joey, if you can hear me, squeeze my hand…" He squeezed the chubbier hand he felt. "He's definitely coming out of it, Liz. Okay, Joey, try opening your eyes." His eyelids felt like lead weights had been attached to them, so it was very slow going. But on his third try, he managed to open his eyes.

"Welcome back. Joey, don't try to move or talk just yet," Lisa said, moving into his field of vision, "you've been unconscious for about 32 hours. Almost eight of those hours were in emergency surgery. Your left arm is broken as are five of the ribs on your left side. Dr. Rhodes had to remove your spleen, and you are very lucky to be alive right now. I'll get you a sip of water, then you can try to talk a little." He felt her hand release, and she came back in a second with a squeeze bottle. Joey took a long sip of water.

"Wh-Where am I?" he asked, disoriented.

"You're in the ICU of Domino Children's right now. You were in the shock-trauma ward until about two hours ago. Like I said, you're lucky to be alive right now."

"Where's… my dad?"

"He's under arrest and at Domino County Jail. The police followed the blood trail you left all the way back to your apartment. Your dad admitted to beating you up. He's not allowed near you. And… your mom and sister are here." She moved away and two faces Joey hadn't seen in the flesh in six years hovered into his vision.

"Mom… Serenity... how'd you get here?"

"Seto flew us, honey," Elizabeth said, and then was overcome by her own tears. "Oh, Joey, I'm so sorry, angel…"

"Ma… it's not your fault…" Joey was really weak, but he managed to take his mother's hand. "Dad just," he trailed off, exhausted.

"Big brother," Serenity said softly, "you're going to be okay."

They moved over and Yugi hugged Joey's hand. Then Mai moved to Joey. _Mai, if you want to kiss him,_ Lisa sent, _only do it on his forehead or his right cheek. It'll hurt too much if you kiss him on the lips._ She nodded, and sat down where Joey could see her.

"Hey, Mai. What's wrong?" She'd started tearing up. "I'm still here," he said weakly.

Finally, as if it had been wrenched from her, Mai said clearly, "You idiot, you scared me!" And then she kissed him on the cheek. "Don't do that!" She sniffled and sat back up. Joey, too exhausted by this point, passed out.

Lisa got Mai to move and checked Joey's pulse. "He's just sleeping now. Guys, he's exhausted. When he wakes up, Liz, we'll get a little food in him. And if his vitals have improved enough, we'll get him moved to Mokuba's room because setting up security won't be so difficult." Elizabeth nodded.

Mai had stepped outside when Lisa went to check Joey. She was visibly shaking, and leaning against the wall outside the room. Lisa stepped out of the room and noticed. "Mai?" she inquired of the older girl, "Mai, are you okay?"

Mai shook her head. "I just hate seeing him like this. It hurts. Joey's usually so strong, and… Lisa…" Lisa hugged her.

"Mai, it's going to be okay. Joey's going to be his strong self again before you know it." And then, Lisa's cell phone rang. "Hello? This is Lisa Hammond."

"Lisa, this is Bree Van de Kamp. I'm the Domino County District Attorney and I wanted to let you know that Jacob Robert Wheeler will be arraigned and able to post bail tomorrow morning."

"Thank you, Ms. Van de Kamp."

"Please, call me Bree, Lisa. Would it be all right if I came by later today and talked to Joey and his family?"

Lisa had seen Bree on TV before, but had never actually met her. Van de Kamp was a very patrician pretty woman with flame blue eyes and dark, straight, glossy red hair. "I'd be okay with it, but only if Joey's mother gives the all-clear."

One hour later, the DA arrived at Domino Children's and talked to Lisa, Joey, Elizabeth, Serenity and Tristan because he had known what had been going on for six years. Joey finally was able to eat something and did while he told the DA what had happened.

Then Bree said, "Doctor Hammond, will the hospital give an update on Joey's condition? He is a celebrity of sorts and I imagine you'll be doing that."

"We'd like to, with Liz's permission, of course," Lisa answered.

Liz said, "You should do it. It's all right."

"Well, then, we'll have to coordinate times. Would you be able to make the announcement this evening about 6:15?" Bree asked.

"We can do that. Bree, do abusers tend to go after the people who reveal what they've done?" Lisa asked, suddenly worried.

"Sometimes," Bree admitted. "Why do you ask?"

"The surgeons who performed the surgery on Joey have young children."

"Oh."

Just then, Drs. Bailey, Truesdale and Rhodes walked by. "Lisa, what's going on?" asked Miranda Bailey. Lisa told her. "Doctor, are you suggesting that **you** go in front of the cameras?"

"Yes, I am, Doctor Bailey. I don't want you three risking yourselves. Alexis, Atticus, Syrus, Zane and little Tucker need their mamas. Therefore, I should take the risk. Besides, I can defend myself if I have to. You guys know that I can." Lisa's eyes took on a hardness that the surgeons knew well, but that most of the kids had never seen before. "And I can defend the hospital."

Yugi looked at Lisa in surprise. "Lisa? What are you saying?"

"There are certain defensive abilities that I have. I know how to defend myself and other people if I have to. If Joey's dad gets ugly, I'll at least be able to stop him from hurting other people. These are techniques you guys aren't ready to learn yet. You'll all learn them as I have, but right now, if he's going to come after anyone, he should come after me."

Miranda Bailey, Scout Rhodes and Darla Truesdale looked at each other. Every maternal instinct in their bodies told them that allowing Lisa to do this would be putting a woman's child in danger. But, they mentally conceded, she did have the abilities to hopefully stop an enraged man in his tracks. "All right, Dr. Hammond," Miranda said. "You give the update. And you be careful."

"I will, Doctor Bailey. Don't worry," Lisa said with a smile, but what showed in her eyes was fear….

_And so, we have Lisa and Seto engaged (a little young, but as they're both fifteen going on thirty, it seems to work), Joey alive and healing slowly, and Lisa deciding to risk her neck. _

_Next time… "One Day More…" Lisa can sense something is about to happen as she goes to the press conference. So what will happen? Stay tuned! Read and review, everyone! Please?_


	24. One Day More

Chapter IXX: One Day More…

_Hello again, loyal fans! Thanks to Invader101, Glimerofhope and Fleeting Illicit Delicious for the reviews. The story continues… I have chosen this title based on the pivotal song from the excellent musical, "Les Miserables." It is because, like in the song, the Sunday we left off at is one day more to a change for at least one of our characters. _

_Disclaimer: I own nothing except for Lisa, any non-established characters and the plot. I am writing for sheer fun. Before I forget, I definitely do __**not**__ own "The Hunt for Red October." That wonderful book is the rightful property of Mr. Tom Clancy, who actually was debriefed by the Reagan Administration when he wrote that book. I'm quoting the last line because that was the book Mokuba and Joey were reading together before Joey's dad almost killed him… I also definitely do not own the most excellent Broadway musical, _Les Miserables. _I just love the song for which this chapter is named. __**Author's notes, over five years later: **__I eliminated song lyrics and reworked a couple of dream and flashback scenes._

Lisa thought of the lyrics to _Les Miserables' _song, "One Day More," singing part of one of her favorite Broadway musical numbers in her head.

"I didn't know you liked _Les Miz,_" Seto Kaiba said softly to his future bride, looking at her in concern. "Are you all right, babe?" he asked after Bree Van de Kamp had gone and they were alone in the hall for a moment.

"I'm okay, Seto… I just… I don't know." Lisa Hammond took a breath and let him pull her into a gentle embrace. Seto—the old Seto—could never have been this gentle with a young woman, he mused. He could definitely read her emotions now, and could tell she was nervous.

"Babe," he said softly, "babe, it's okay to be afraid. Leese, you're only human, and what you're doing is pretty brave. Just remember, Mokie and I need you, too." In his heart, Seto was frightened of losing his love.

"I won't forget, honey," she said, the right side of her face resting against his chest. She relaxed for a moment, listening to his heartbeat and breathing in his scent. He smelled of light, spicy cologne, but she knew for a fact it was a particular brand of deodorant that he wore. It was comforting to her to have him this close, and to know that he loved her and her alone. "If Joey's dad comes, he'll have to get through me to get to Joey and Mokuba."

Seto looked down at her and she looked back up at him. "You really mean that," he said softly. She nodded.

"I love Mokuba as if he was my very own, Seto, and anyone who wants to get at him has to face me first." Her eyes had the hard, determined look in them as they'd had a short time ago when she'd pleaded her case to Dr. Bailey to be the one to face the cameras later today.

"No wonder I love you so much," he said softly, drawing her into a very gentle kiss designed to comfort. "When do we get married?"

"Let's not think about that right now," she answered quietly. "I want to get this press conference over with before we think of anything else, okay?"

"Okay."

Y

At 1:30 on that Sunday afternoon, Joey Wheeler was deemed stable enough to be moved out of the ICU to Mokuba Kaiba's hospital room. Mokuba's room was pretty big and could fit up to three patients if needs be. Since Joey was Mokuba's friend and both boys needed heightened security, it made sense to have them in the same room once the older boy was stable enough. And so, Lisa, with the help of George O'Malley and two orderlies, moved Joey down to Mokuba's room.

"Hey, guys," Joey said tiredly, but with a little smile on his face. "Moks, I guess I'm your roommate."

"Yeah, Joey, and I'm glad you're gonna be okay," the small boy answered, managing to keep his emotions in control this time.

The teen boy swallowed and said, "I've gotta say somethin' to all of you." Everyone surrounded his bed, Mokuba carried in his brother's arms.

"What is it, Joey?" Elizabeth asked, taking his right hand.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you guys what was goin' on. I should've at least told you and Teá, Yuge. I just…"

"You didn't want to take the chance that I'd get custody and move you away from your friends?" Elizabeth asked.

"Yeah," Joey admitted, "and part of me believed Dad. He said you left me behind 'cause you didn't want a pathetic stray mutt like me." The boy wasn't able to hold back the tears that rolled down his cheeks. "Sorry." He didn't have the strength to wipe the tears off himself, and Elizabeth quickly grabbed a box of tissues from the nightstand next to her son's bed and daubed off the tears.

"Oh, sweetie… I never wanted to leave you." Lisa gave the other kids the mental signal to leave the room so Liz could tell her son why she'd left with just Serenity. Mai put her hand on Serenity's shoulder and helped her out of the room.

"Let's give them a few minutes," Lisa said as she walked the entourage down to a conversation pit for patients and their families.

When the kids were safely seated, Serenity said softly, "Mom never really told me why she left Joey with Daddy, not until last night. But I knew he didn't care about me." She looked down at the table for a moment, trying to compose her thoughts. Then she looked up again, tears in her eyes. "There was this one fight Mom and Dad had when I was six… Joey was your house, Tristan… I don't know how Daddy thought I couldn't hear him when he was yelling like that. But he yelled at Mom that I was bankrupting the family. She tried to calm him down, and then he screamed that I should be dumped on the state. Maybe he cared at some point but… I don't know anymore." She looked down again and felt the warmth of Mai and Teá's arms.

The two girls hugged her, and Mai said, "I'm sure he did. How could he not?"

"Serenity, you've got us," Teá added.

Seto, Lisa could sense, was furious… Not at Serenity, but at her father. _That jerk,_ he thought. _How could he say that?! I have half a mind to go down to that jail…_

_Honey, _Lisa sent, _calm down… He's probably in isolation now. You don't live long in prison if you're a child abuser. I know Joey and Serenity would appreciate the thought that you'd defend them both._

Seto smiled at this. _I just hate it that they were put through what they were put through, _he answered, his expression going back to sobriety. _Maybe I'll be able to do something for them. _

_Maybe you will,_ she sent.

And then Serenity sighed. "Thanks, everybody. I'll probably be moving here soon."

"Really, Serenity? That's great!" Yugi said, happy partly because Joey wasn't leaving. "How come?"

"Mom called her boss this morning to tell her what happened and Ms. Karroll said that even though she understood that Mom had to do this, Ms. Karroll said that she needed to replace Mom because she's missed so much work taking care of me and she's going to miss work taking care of Joey. Mom didn't want to say anything and worry Joey."

Lisa could see the wheels in Seto's head turning as he figured a way to help the Wheeler family. She had learned a lot about her husband-to-be when she'd started as merely his doctor. He had a tendency to be ruthless, and yet when he was confronted with injustice, he fought until justice was done.

Y

"Hey, baby, you are the finest thing in the office," a supervisor named Yancy Hill said to his female subordinate, Marilyn Thomas back in July. "I could make it so you go really far in this company, but you've got to do something for me."

Lisa had just been walking down the hall from Mr. Kaiba's office when she heard this exchange in Mr. Hill's office. Something didn't sound right, so she moved closer to the door. "Mr. Hill, I don't understand." Marilyn was a young woman, just graduated from Harvard with a business degree at the age of 22. She had come to Domino when she got a job as a worker in Kaiba Corp's advertising division and she wanted to open her own company some day. She had red hair, green eyes and freckles, and a very pretty figure. Lisa had gotten to know her at the company gym, and had learned of the older girl's hopes and dreams.

"What I'm saying, beautiful, is that if you want to get ahead, you need to…" His voice dropped to a whisper, and though Lisa couldn't hear what he was saying, she felt sudden horror and revulsion from Marilyn and lecherous desire from Yancy Hill.

"No way… You're married, Mr. Hill!"

"My wife is cold… I'll bet you're warm where it counts, Marilyn… C'mon."

"_**No**_!"

Then Lisa sensed Mr. Hill's fiery temper. "You come into this office and you think you can flounce in looking so gorgeous. It's the way of the world, sweetheart. I'll bet you did your professors to get good grades. Get out of here!"

Lisa quickly stepped away from the door as Marilyn came out of the office, very upset. "Marilyn, is everything all right?" she asked. Marilyn was trembling from the confrontation and was near tears.

"I… oh, Lisa… you wouldn't…!"

"I heard the whole thing. That's sexual harassment, and I think we need to see Mr. Kaiba, because I have a suspicion that Mr. Hill can get pretty nasty."

They headed straight for Mr. Kaiba's office and got in. "Doctor Hammond, may I ask why you're here with an employee?" His right eyebrow was raised and he had his cold expression on.

"Mr. Kaiba, we have a situation and Ms. Thomas needs to tell you about it right now. I wouldn't have brought this to you if I didn't think it was urgent, sir. There is a situation in advertising that you need to know about." And with Lisa at her side, Marilyn told Mr. Kaiba what had just occurred. And when she finished, both young women were quite grateful that they were not Mr. Yancy Hill.

"Thank you for bringing this to my attention, Doctor. Are you all right, Marilyn?" Seto asked, his expression unchanging but somehow more dangerous.

"I'll be all right, Mr. Kaiba. I just…" She was trying to hold back her tears, but could no longer. Lisa grabbed some tissues from her boss's desk and handed them to the worker. Mr. Kaiba gestured with his head, wanting Lisa to follow him out from his inner sanctum.

"Doctor, I wanted to ask you… Was what she said what you heard?"

"Yes, sir," Lisa answered. "He was propositioning her, and I have a feeling he can get pretty nasty when he wants to when he's refused."

"All right, then. I'll take care of this. Am I right in assuming he's chummy with the Human Resources director?" Lisa nodded. "He's going to wish he hadn't done what he did, Doctor," Mr. Kaiba added darkly and headed down the hall, his dark trench coat billowing behind him like Darth Vader in his black cowl.

Y

Seto had made sure that day that Mr. Hill never again did what he did to Marilyn. Marilyn was promoted to the supervisor of the advertising department, and Hill was fired after Seto found out Marilyn hadn't been the first victim of sexual harassment. Seto had uncovered that there were three other women that had left the company rather than complain, and he'd offered them their jobs back with appropriate compensation. They got the compensation whether or not they took their jobs back (one did take her job back, while the others thanked Seto, but were happy in their new jobs). Seto had made certain Mr. Hill's wife and children didn't pay for husband and father's sins, especially when Mrs. Hill kicked her husband of fifteen years to the curb. Mrs. Hill was given the severance package and assistance to find a good job for herself. Seto had been horrified later to learn that there had been women in Kaiba Corp back when Gozaburo had been in charge that had willingly slept with Mr. Hill to get ahead.

Right now, Lisa knew that Seto would do something for the Wheelers, partly because Elizabeth shouldn't have lost her job and also because he felt rotten that he'd treated Joey so shamefully. The teenagers and Mokuba talked for a bit longer, and then headed back to Joey and Mokuba's hospital room. Joey had fallen asleep again by this time, and Elizabeth was sitting back in her chair. "He knows everything now," she whispered softly after Seto and Lisa had gotten Mokuba into his bed.

"Elizabeth, he needed to know. The only way to counter all that your ex-husband has told him is to tell him the truth," Lisa said gently. The mother nodded.

"Elizabeth," Seto said, "could I talk to you for a moment outside?"

"Of course, Seto, what is it?" She stood up and stepped outside with him.

Once they were outside, he asked, "Did I hear correctly that you've just lost your job?"

"Did Serenity tell you?"

"Well, she mentioned that you might be moving back here and we wanted to know why, so she told us. Anyway, it just so happens I have a job opening that might suit you. I need a new personal secretary as my other secretary just married and is requesting different hours. It will have full benefits for you and your family, including medical, dental and retirement, plus decent pay. How much were you getting at your old job?" She named her amount, and he said, "Consider your pay tripled."

"Tripled? Seto, are you sure?"

"I am. What else will you need? Elizabeth, please let me help," he said, sensing her hesitation. "I… really need to make up for how I treated Joey. I was really mean to him, and without knowing it, I echoed his father. I know what's it like to be hurt like Joey was, and I want to make it up to all of you."

Elizabeth Wheeler's face softened as she considered what he was asking. "I know you're going to be my employer, but right now, can you just be my son's friend?" He nodded. "Can I give you a hug, Seto?" He nodded mutely, and she hugged him like the mother she was and he accepted it like the teen boy he truly was.

"So," he asked, "what are you going to need so you can move down here, Elizabeth?"

"I'll need to find an apartment that the three of us can move into," she said.

Seto responded, "I'll do you one better. You three deserve a decent house. I'll find something that you can decide on, all right? Then you can tell me what you want moved down here and I'll get my people on it right away."

"Oh, thank you, Seto."

"No problem."

Y

As the afternoon went on, Tristan's parents, Teá's parents, Yugi's grandfather and Bakura arrived. "I'm sorry we didn't call you sooner, Bakura," Lisa apologized.

"It's quite all right," he said in his soft British accent. "I'm just glad Joey'll be all right. How did you find Joey so quickly?" It was then that Lisa told the white-haired, brown-eyed boy about the group's abilities.

"Bakura, you may have the same abilities, but I'll have to scan you to find out."

"Will it hurt at all?" he asked curiously.

"I don't think so," she answered, "but take a deep breath in case it does." He nodded, breathed, and Lisa breathed and sensed Bakura's abilities. _Hmm… he has some talent… what in the world?_ Something didn't seem right with him, but she couldn't put her finger on it.

"What is it, Lisa? Can I begin training?" Bakura asked as everyone looked at the blue-eyed, blonde-brown haired girl expectantly.

"Bakura, you aren't ready. There's something funny about your abilities, but I'm not sure what it is. Until this clears, I won't feel safe training you."

Bakura looked a bit sad at this, but accepted it. "Will I ever be a Jedi, Lisa?"

She took a deep breath and reached to the future. She saw her friends, her (by that time) husband and brother-in-law and Bakura standing together, all holding light sabers in triumph. "I think you will, Bakura. I think you will."

Solomon Muto asked curiously, "Is anyone too old for the training?"

"Oh, no, Solomon. If you'd like to join us…"

"Well, I might not be much of a fighter, but I would like to help if I can, young Master Jedi."

"Thank you, Solomon. I hear you're quite the talent with kendo sticks…"

Y

The afternoon wore on, and everyone relaxed in the hospital room. "Thanks for stayin' here, guys," Joey said. He'd awakened at 3:30 after a good nap and was going to try to stay awake through the press conference which would start for the DA at 6:00. "Lisa, if it wasn't for you teachin' us how to use what God obviously gave us, I wouldn't be here and neither would Moks. Thanks."

"Just doing my job, Joey," Lisa answered, smiling. And then the light caught the ring she was wearing.

"Hey, pretty ri-. Wait a sec. Did something happen while I was—?" Joey sensed it. "Moneybags, did you..?" Seto nodded.

"I asked Lisa to marry me on Saturday night, and she said yes."

"Congrats, all three of you!" Joey made the mistake of trying to sit up to shake their hands and sank back into his pillows, grunting in pain.

Lisa moved to Joey quickly to check his vitals. "Don't try to congratulate us that way just yet, Joey, okay? I'd rather you recover." Joey, for the moment too sore to argue the point, nodded tiredly.

"So when's the press conference again?"

"6:00. Bree will go and give the legal information about what your dad has been charged with and the facts of the case as they know it. Then I'll go out to the podium at the front of the hospital, give an update on your condition, as well as what happened to you, and then I'll take a few questions from the press. The whole thing should take about half an hour. Chances are your dad **will** see the press conference. Maybe he'll be sorry for what he did to you." But somehow, everyone in the room doubted it.

At 5:30, Lisa headed to the doctors' locker room to do her make-up and touch up her hair. Seto thought about staying in the room, but realized his fiancée needed him to be there. "Mokie, I'll be back with Lisa after the press conference, okay? I just think I need to be close."

"I understand, big brother." Mokuba understood too well that Lisa was scared and needed Seto's support and strength. The brown-haired, blue-eyed boy headed toward the locker room and reached it just as his love was exiting.

"Hey," he said, coming up to her.

"Hey," she answered, hugging him. He put his arms around her as they were in a protected corridor.

"Are you okay?" he asked softly.

"I'll be all right. I just feel really uneasy. I really don't like press conferences and this one…" He picked her up and kissed her, her feet not touching the ground. He set her down again, just holding her, willing some of his own strength into her. She looked up into his eyes, again seeing the lake she'd grown up seeing out of her parents' bedroom window.

"You're going to be okay. When we get home tonight, I want you to get a hot bath and relax," Seto said softly. "You won't be alone tonight."

"Okay," she said, finally releasing from the hug. He noticed the ring wasn't on her finger but on a pretty white gold chain on her neck. "I didn't want the press to see the ring yet, so I put it on this chain. After today, we can decide what we do," she said calmly.

Up in Mokuba and Joey's room, Mai flipped on the TV and sat down next to her boyfriend. "How long to the press conference?" she asked.

"About twenty minutes now," Yugi answered, looking at his watch. "She's really nervous and so's Kai… I mean, Seto."

Elizabeth looked at the kids curiously, and noticed that the other adults saw nothing out of the ordinary. "Why did you call him Kaiba?"

"He didn't like it when anyone but me called him Seto… until Lisa came," Mokuba explained. "And then when I got hurt, he said the gang could call him Seto because he didn't want to be known by our adopted last name."

"I see," Elizabeth answered, still a bit puzzled.

"Mom, it's 'cause of his adoptive dad he had to be called that," Joey added. "The guy was a certifiable nutcase. We'll fill ya in later, Bakura. Lots of things have happened."

They sat, casually chatting and glancing at the TV until 5:58 PM when the "Breaking News" logo for DMNO 4 flashed onto the screen. "Turn it up," Joey said, as the scene changed to the channel's newsroom and a pretty woman with chin-length dark hair, dark eyes and pale white skin, sitting at the news desk.

"Good evening, I'm Desiree Tisdale-Huffington with breaking news. Early yesterday, we received word that Joseph Aaron Wheeler, second place winner of the Duel Monsters Duelist Kingdom tournament, had been the victim of assault and battery and was in critical condition. This evening, it appears that his condition has vastly improved, and that the person who sent him to the hospital was his father, identified as Jacob Robert Wheeler. We take you now to a press conference with the Domino County District Attorney, Bree Van de Kamp."

The picture on the television screen changed to reveal the redheaded woman in front of a camera, wearing a blue women's business suit, which brought out her snappy blue eyes. She took a deep breath and smiled at the camera. "Good evening. Nearly 41 hours ago, Joseph Aaron Wheeler was found at the doorstep of the home of Yugi David Muto. He was gravely injured, bleeding seriously, and if not for the actions of a young doctor, we might be informing you of something quite different. Investigation took members of the Domino Police Department to the victim's apartment where they found his father, Jacob Robert Wheeler in a drunken state, confirmed by breathalyzer and blood-alcohol tests. The middle-aged man was also found with blood on his knuckles, the type consistent with his son's blood.

"When the elder Mr. Wheeler sobered up, he referred to his son's injuries as 'punishment' and stated that he wasn't done 'disciplining' his son. He seemed to be under the impression that his son was not seriously injured, despite evidence presented to the contrary. Tomorrow morning, Jacob Robert Wheeler will be formally charged with child abuse, assault and battery and endangerment of a minor child in the person of Joseph Aaron Wheeler. I will not be taking questions at this time, as a doctor from Domino Children's Hospital will update us on the young man's condition."

The scene on TVs all around Domino changed to the front of Domino Children's Hospital where a podium with different microphones was set up. The glass sliding doors opened to reveal…

"That is Doctor Lisa Angela Hammond, the fifteen-year-old prodigy from Seattle, Washington. She is a public practice doctor at Domino Children's, but was recently hired as the personal doctor of the president and vice-president of Kaiba Corporation, Seto and Mokuba Kaiba, respectively. It appears she is making the hospital's statement. Let's listen," Desiree Huffington said.

Lisa approached the podium rather nervously. She knew Seto was nearby and took some strength from that, but she was still a bit nervous. _Dear Lord,_ she prayed in her head, _give me strength and if this is the beginning of my end, forgive me my sins and take me into Your arms when I leave this Earth. Amen._ She had a very serious expression on her face, but remembered to smile for the press.

"Good evening," she said pleasantly to the press. "My name is Lisa Hammond and I am a doctor here at Domino Children's Hospital. I am one of the physicians who has been working to restore Joey Wheeler to health. First, I'd like to thank everyone on behalf of Elizabeth and Serenity Wheeler, Joey's mom and sister, for your prayers and support. Joey has improved greatly from when he was admitted to the hospital at 1:40 on Saturday morning. He had multiple injuries, including five broken ribs and internal injuries that threatened his life. His condition is currently serious, but he is well on the road to recovery. Due to the nature of his injuries, released with his family's permission, he will not be leaving Domino Children's Hospital for at least one week. I will be glad to take any questions at this time."

The press members asked a few questions that Lisa could answer and a few that she could not because of the investigation. Her friends and fiancé sent her waves of strength without quite knowing what they were doing. She might not have made it through the press conference without that unknowing burst of strength from those who cared about her here, even with her press experience.

When the conference was over, Lisa drew a deep, cleansing breath when she stepped away from the podium. She was relieved to just walk through the doors and away from the whirring and flashing cameras of the Domino media. She stepped around a corner and into her fiancé's waiting arms. Again, she found herself wrapped in his warm embrace, listening to the beating of his heart. "You did great, Lisa," he murmured, gently pressing his lips to the top of her head. "You're okay now." He moved his lips down her head to her neck and then back up to her soft lips.

"We're going to get caught, you know," she said softly, knowing that this was part of the excitement of their relationship.

"Maybe I don't care anymore," he said as he pulled her into a deeper kiss, their tongues touching each other. Oh, this was too wonderful. But they pulled back from each other, recognizing that they couldn't in good conscience have a make-out session where Lisa was working and where their friends were. Unbeknownst to the couple, Yugi Muto had made his way downstairs to check on Lisa and Seto, and turned the corner to see them in their passionate embrace. Wisely, he shielded his thoughts, turned around, and headed back upstairs before the two were the wiser.

When Yugi returned to the hospital room, he had a soft, sweet smile on his face. "Yugi?" Teá asked, noticing how he looked. "What did you see?"

"I think I know," Mokuba said, a tiny bit disgusted. "You saw 'em kissing, didn't you?"

"How'd you know?" Yugi asked, a little surprised at Mokuba's expression. "And why are you a little grossed out, Mokuba?"

"Yugi, I'm nine. It's kinda gross seeing people kissing." Everybody laughed at this one, and it was this moment that the couple in question walked into the room and everyone laughed harder.

"You saw us, didn't you, Yugi?" Lisa said. He nodded, still smiling. Everyone congratulated Lisa on her doing well at the press conference.

"So what's next?" Joey asked, looking at the doctor.

"Well, Joey, tomorrow, your dad is arraigned and allowed to post bail. What happens next depends on him. Liz and Serenity, you two will be at the mansion and security is going to be tight in case he decides to go after you. If, however, he does what I think he might do, he may come here. And security will be tight here as well. Joey, your dad won't be able to get in here to you and Mokuba." Lisa sat down on Mokuba's bed and her lowered mental shields betrayed her real feelings.

"Lisa," Mokuba asked, "are you scared?"

"Yeah, Mokuba, I am a little scared." Mokuba sat up and hugged her. "I'll be okay, sweetie…"

Y

At 7:00, Seto had dinner delivered to the group and everyone sat around talking casually. At 8:30, Mokuba picked up _The Hunt for Red October_ and read it out loud to Joey, as everyone had read out loud to him. "So where are you in the book, squirt?" the teen boy asked as he was propped up so Mokuba could sit on his bed.

"I'm at the last part of the book, Joey, and I wanted to finish it when you were awake."

"Okay, kid, then read it."

Mokuba opened the book to the last chapter, and read. At 9:00, the little boy came to the final line. "'For the first time in his life, Jack Ryan fell asleep on an airplane.' Isn't that a great book, Joey? Joey?" Mokuba shut the book to see that his friend was fast asleep.

"Okay, sweetheart, I think it's time you got into bed yourself," Lisa said softly, picking Mokuba up. She carried him over to his own bed and she and Seto tucked Mokuba in. "Good night, Mokuba. I love you."

"Love you, Mokie," Seto added.

"Love you too, big brother, big sister," he answered, drifting off. It was the first time Mokuba had called Lisa "big sister." She blushed softly at this, and Seto laid his hand gently on her shoulder. Lisa had definitely won Mokuba's love now, because he didn't use that term lightly.

"Liz, Serenity, Mai, do you three want to come home with us tonight?" Lisa asked. Elizabeth and Serenity answered affirmatively, but the blonde girl shook her head.

"I need to go back to my apartment tonight. Thanks for the offer, though. I'll see you guys tomorrow," she said, going downstairs and hailing a cab.

The group made their way outside, Tristan and Teá hopping into their parents' cars and Yugi hopping into his grandfather's car. Duke walked home as did Bakura, while Seto, Lisa, Serenity and Elizabeth went back to the mansion. The four headed to their rooms and took baths or showers. Lisa, as she sat in the tub, found her Jedi senses were extra strong this evening. When her sensitivity was this strong, it seemed, bad things were sure to happen in the next few days. The roar of the water sounded like… _helicopter blades rotating…_ The drops of water from the faucet sound like…_ Why do they sound like gunshots?_ Lisa tried shaking off the feeling, but couldn't for some reason. _Is God trying to warn me about what's to come?_ She had to wonder.

Seto, in his bedroom, could sense Lisa's fear as clearly as if she were trembling in his arms. He pulled on his charcoal grey t-shirt and shorts (which rather nicely showcased his muscular arms and legs) and walked to Lisa's room. He knocked on the door and Lisa answered. "Hey, honey, what's up?" she asked.

"I just wanted to check on you, babe. You're scared." The panic in her mind was different now, he noted.

"I just have this weird feeling… When my senses are acting this strong, I wonder if God is trying to warn me of what's to come."

Seto took a deep breath. "Why don't you come in my room and sleep in there? I'm not asking you to be in a compromising position. Besides, I can tell you're not in the mood," he said half-jokingly. She smiled and followed him to his bedroom. He stayed up and read, while she fell asleep without him turning off the light.

Y

"_**You wanted to stop me**_?!"

"No, don't!"

"_**You'll stop me!**__" __**Bang!**_

Lisa sat bolt upright in bed, Seto quickly placing his arms around her. "It's okay," he said softly, helping her reorient herself, "you just had a bad dream. It's okay, Leese." It was 12:30 AM and he'd been reading since she fell asleep at 10:30. "What was it about?" he asked, seeing her flushed with terror.

"I don't know, honey," she admitted. "I was somewhere in the city, and somebody had a gun. I tried to stop him, but he turned the gun on himself, I think…" She trembled in his arms, and he held her tighter. "Seto, when I have dreams like that, they have a nasty way of coming true. It's silly, isn't it?" she asked softly. He shook his head.

"Not from you. And it's not silly. You're scared, and it's only natural you're going to be tense. Here, turn around." She turned around, her back facing him and he rubbed her shoulders. "Just relax, babe." He rubbed for a few minutes, until he felt her tense shoulder muscles relax. He helped her lay back, his arm gently around her. "You'll be okay. I'll turn the light out." When he returned to the bed, she was fast asleep. "Good night, Leese," he whispered, kissing her cheek.

And then, Seto Kaiba dreamed as well…

_Twelve-year-old Seto James Delaney ran through the corridors of the old Kaiba mansion, his brother, Mokuba riding on his back. Gozaburo had beaten Seto for making a single error in a college-level research paper, and the boy couldn't take it anymore._ I'm not a Kaiba, he thought, and I don't want to be if I have to be like him!

_"Big brother?" whispered five-year-old Mokuba._

_"Shh, Mokie, you have to be really quiet. We don't want anyone to know what we're doing."_

_"Are we running away, Seto?"_

_"Yes," he whispered back, "because we can't stay here. What if he tries to hurt you, too?" And then, to his horror, Seto felt Mokuba's small hand clamp to his shoulder and looked up into his adoptive father's angry face._ Oh, no_…_ _Seto knew he was about to pay the price for his failure._

_"Mokuba, _**run**_!" Seto yelped as the little boy scrambled down his back and the adult male grabbed Seto by the right arm. He knew what Gozaburo was about to do to him and didn't want Mokuba to see it._

_"Stay put, you little twerp, and see what happens to ungrateful little brats in this house," Gozaburo growled with an evil look on his face. Mokuba, Seto knew, was paralyzed with terror and would see his brother beaten badly. Gozaburo drew back his right hand, and Seto tensed, anticipating the blow._

_"Leave him alone." A girl's voice, laced with iron, had spoken. Seto opened his blue eyes to see a girl about his age with blonde-brown hair and blue eyes. For some reason, Seto wanted to yell out a warning to her, but couldn't. Oddly enough, though, she didn't need the warning. Gozaburo's right hand was frozen in mid-motion. He released his grip on his stepson._

_"Who the hell are you?!" Gozaburo Kaiba growled._

_"My name's Lisa," she answered, "and if you ever lay a hand on Seto or anyone else ever again, I'll personally see to it that you'll live to regret it." Her blue eyes narrowed in anger and Gozaburo's brown eyes did the same._

_"Why you little—!" The 55-year-old man growled and lunged at the young girl like a mad dog, but never made contact. She gestured and he found himself suspended in midair, bound efficiently as if he'd been bound in chains. "What did you do?!" he shouted. "Put me down!"_

_"No way. You won't be able to move for a while, and by the time you are able to move, we'll be gone from here. And FYI, we're going straight to the cops. You're going to jail, Gozaburo and you'll never harm another kid. Ciao! C'mon, guys, let's blow this joint," Lisa said to the two boys. Seto took his brother's hand and Lisa took Mokuba's other hand. They walked away from the mansion together…_.

Seto awoke briefly to see his beloved sleeping soundly next to him. He was very sleepy, and fell back to sleep almost as quickly as he'd awakened…

_In Egypt, some 5000 years earlier, twelve-year-old Seto was running through a burning village. His mother was dead, and as far as the boy knew, his father was, too. The man had left Seto and his mother when Seto was a small boy. He could remember his father riding away from him on a white horse. What he wouldn't give to see his father riding back on that white horse now! Instead, from the flames of the village arose another white animal that would forever change Seto's destiny. It was an eerily beautiful white dragon with jewel blue eyes, and it was controlled by a twelve-year-old girl with white hair and deep blue eyes…_

Y

As Seto and Lisa dreamed, across town, a living nightmare began to emerge. At Domino County Jail, in a cell, a man with dark shadows on his soul not placed by ancient evil spirits or the shadow realm scowled darkly. He had listened to the obvious lies that XXXX doctor and that XXXXXXX XXXX of a district attorney had told on the TV. He was being charged for disciplining his son. _That stupid boy… If I'd hurt him that badly, he'd be dead. And that little XXXXX doctor… she's a liar! Well, I'll take care of her tomorrow._ Tomorrow morning, he would post bail and be released from the jail. He would go get what the boy had failed to get and then he would go back to the apartment one last time. And then… he would have his revenge.

_The next chapter will earn the T rating that I've given this story… In fact, it'll probably look like a wicked scary episode of a medical drama._

_Credit where credit is due… The quote from _The Hunt for Red October_ is found on page 469 of the January 1986 edition, published by Berkley Books in cooperation with Naval Institute Press. As I stated at the beginning of this chapter, _The Hunt for Red October_ was written by the magnificent Tom Clancy. _

_Read and review, folks!_


	25. Code Green, Code Purple

Chapter XX: Code Green, Code Purple

_Hello again, loyal fans! I am up to chapter 20 of this story! Thanks to my reviewers this time, Invader101, Fleeting Illicit Delicious and Glimerofhope! As always, your reviews are appreciated and loved! As I stated at the beginning of this tale, I've been working on it for almost two years. This section of "The Jedi League of Duelists" is definitely rated T because there is going to be some violence and the death of a character. I have to thank the good people at Google and Wikipedia because I had to do some research to find out hospital codes for trouble. I discovered that Code Green refers to a situation where there is an armed person and Code Purple is used to divert ambulances when ERs are filled to capacity. Lisa, however, uses it here to divert incoming traffic to other hospitals in Domino for a very important reason._

_First, Tom Clancy is the rightful owner of "Patriot Games," published in 1987 by Jack Ryan Enterprises, Ltd. Mokuba quotes the first chapter's title and I want to give credit where credit is due. Mr. Clancy is one of my favorite authors because his work is spellbinding and eerily prophetic. Secondly, I don't own any cable news networks. Third, I don't own "She's Got the Power"; that song is the property of Stan Bush. I do not, nor will I ever own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of its characters. I just own the plot, Lisa Hammond and any characters that are not established in the Yugi-verse. Hold on to your hats, strangely growing hair and fashion accessories, everyone! It's going to be a bumpy ride! __**Author's notes, over five years later: **__I tweaked some flashback scenes and section breaks. Also, Lisa quotes Gandalf the Grey at one point._

Seto Kaiba and Lisa Hammond awoke at 6:00 AM. They had cuddled close to each other during the night, and so awoke in each other's arms. "Um," Seto yawned and slapped off the alarm. Lisa, still resting against his chest, yawned too, and blinked. "Good morning, Lisa," he said softly, giving her a gentle (yet deep) kiss.

"Mmm, I could get used to this," Lisa said mischievously, and then blushed. The two of them were very close to each other, and the contact was admittedly arousing. She pulled away a bit. "Honey, don't get me wrong. I like snuggling, but I don't want us to go too far yet."

Seto sat up as she did, and they both sat on the edge of the bed, side by side. "I understand, babe. I want our first time to be special, and… I've… umm…" He flushed a bit, gathered his thoughts and admitted, "I've been reading… books about… intimacy…" He coughed nervously and continued, "I… wanted to be sure that… umm… when we do get close, I do it so you feel good, too. I've heard and read that it hurts for women the first time."

Lisa gently put her arm around him and laid her head on his shoulder. "It's so sweet of you, honey, to be so considerate of what I'm going to be feeling. Don't go to too much trouble, though. I want us to concentrate on our marriage." When he gave her a puzzled look, she said, "We can't worry about an event and how perfect it should be. We need to think about our life together. But we can talk seriously later."

"I agree. Oh, crap, it's 6:10!"

"6:10? Oh, yeah, I need to be on rounds at 7:30 and you need to be at school by 7:45!" She headed out of the bedroom and went to her room, while Seto quickly pulled his pajamas off. He tossed them into the hamper, charged into the bathroom, cursed when he stubbed his toe heading into the shower, scrubbed his body and shampooed his hair. He got out of the shower, toweled off, pulled on his Blue Eyes White Dragon boxer shorts, then his pants, white undershirt, white dress shirt, uniform jacket, white athletic socks and white sneakers with blue trim.

Lisa, meanwhile, ran into her room, stripped off her pajamas, tossed them in her hamper, grabbed a hairbrush and combed the tangles from her hair. She turned on the shower, got in and cleaned off quickly. She got out of the shower, toweled off and put some leave-in conditioner in her hair. Then she put some curl activator, end sealant and mousse into her hair, pulled out a hair dryer and blew her hair dry. She combed the hair out so it was fluffy and full, and then did her makeup. Lisa then got her clothes on, which she'd have to change out of into scrubs once she got to her locker room at work and her white sneakers with purple and black accents.

The teenage couple met downstairs at the kitchen. They each grabbed pieces of toast, their vitamins and then Lisa grabbed a glass of cranberry juice while Seto grabbed a glass of orange juice. He'd originally had coffee in the morning, but Lisa had convinced him that he needed to drink something else before the coffee.

"So what's going to happen today?" he asked.

"With any luck, nothing. Hopefully, Joey's dad will just go to the apartment and chill. I can do my rounds, and Liz and Serenity can relax."

"Do you really think Joey's dad will do anything, Lisa?" Seto asked, taking a bite of his toast and sipping his juice.

"That's what I'm afraid of. Bree said he does have a record, and with what he did to Joey, we know what he's capable of. The other thing… at some point, he's had guns. The police couldn't find a gun at the apartment, but they may have missed something. They'd need a court order to really search the place."

Seto nodded, understanding, and again noticed his love's fear. They'd each finished their breakfasts and he stood as she did. They placed their breakfast dishes in the dishwasher rather than leave them for the maid, and the teen boy took the opportunity to hug the teen girl. She hugged back. "Leese, babe, I'm with you." She nodded, face against his chest. They released and he held the hand that wore his ring. "You're going to be okay."

The two headed back upstairs, brushed their teeth and checked on the Wheeler women. Elizabeth and Serenity, too, had gotten ready for the day and were sitting watching TV while they enjoyed their breakfast. Seto quickly went over a safety plan with the two women, so if Jake Wheeler did what Lisa was afraid of, they would be kept safe.

Seto and Lisa got into a limo at 7:05 AM, along with Roland (Bryce was at the mansion with Elizabeth and Serenity while other security people were at Domino Children's on Seto's orders), and Lisa was dropped off at the hospital at 7:15. "Bye, honey. Have a good day at school," she said, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

"Bye, babe," he answered. "I'll be here this afternoon." She ran into the hospital and to the locker room to change and started on her rounds a few minutes early.

Seto arrived at Domino High at 7:30, plenty of time to drop his street sneakers at his shoe locker (Domino High having been heavily influenced by the Japanese-American culture that had given the town birth) and get to his regular locker on the second floor, which happened to be right near his friends' lockers.

"Morning, Seto," Yugi said, pulling his American Government books from his locker. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah. Lisa's just a little worried about today." Seto dropped his voice to a whisper and knelt to Yugi's level. "She was upset last night, and she had a really bad dream last night. I just hope it doesn't happen the way she saw it."

"That bad, huh?" Yugi answered, looking at his friend. "Maybe it'll be okay… Oh, hey, guys!" The other members of the group had arrived at their lockers (Tristan was already in his Tai-Chi uniform), greeted Seto, and then the teen CEO and his dueling rival headed to class. _So she's okay?_ Yugi sent, concerned.

_Yeah, _Seto answered, _but the dream shook her up. I had some weird dreams last night myself, but they didn't end up that scary. The first one was something that happened when I tried to run away from Gozaburo, but instead of what happened, Lisa stopped him. And then… this is really weird._ He could sense Yami listening in. _Actually, Yami, maybe you'll know about this because it happened in your time. I dreamed I was in a burning village and a girl that kind of looked like Lisa was controlling the Blue Eyes._

_Are you serious?_ the 5000-year-old spirit sent back.

_Yeah,_ the almost sixteen-year-old sent. _It was really strange, because it seemed like it happened to me before._ He could almost see the spirit and the modern boy exchanging glances.

_Let us know if anything like that happens again, all right?_

_Gotcha._

Y

Lisa got into her locker room about 10 minutes before she went on duty. Today, she pulled on a pair of raspberry pink scrubs and then started on her rounds. Her first stop was at the room of a little redheaded girl named Kazuza. The five-year-old had been at Domino Children's for a few days with an infected cut on her leg. "Hi, Dr. Lisa!" the little girl chirruped happily.

"Good morning, Kazuza! Did you have your breakfast already?" Lisa asked, taking a look at the small girl's chart, then manually checking her vitals.

"Yup! I got Fruit Loops!"

"Oh, that sounds yummy! Now I've got to check your boo-boo, okay? Oh, you're being so brave," Lisa praised as she removed the bandage to check. "Well, Kazuza," she said when she finished, "I think I can tell your mom and dad that you're going to be able to go home tomorrow. Does that sound good?"

"Yeah! I miss being home with my dollies," the five-year-old said, sparkles in her brown eyes. Lisa tucked the little girl back in bed, making her comfortable. Then the teen doctor continued her rounds.

At 9:40 AM, just as Lisa finished her rounds and was heading up to Joey and Mokuba's room in the elevator, her cell phone rang. "Hello?"

"Lisa, this is Bree. I thought you ought to know that Jacob Wheeler just posted bail. He wouldn't say a word to anyone, not even his lawyer. In fact, I won't repeat what he said about his lawyer."

"I don't think I want to know. So what's up?"

"We're not sure where he's going to go, so be prepared."

"We are. Thanks, Bree." They said goodbye, and Lisa exited the elevator, made a couple of phone calls and headed to her friend and future brother-in-law's room.

"Hey, guys," she greeted as she headed into the room.

"Good morning, Lisa," Mokuba said, holding up his arms for a hug and his morning kiss on the cheek.

"Morning, sweetie," she said. "Good morning, Joey. You're looking better this morning."

"Hey, Leese," Joey answered, sounding tired, but upbeat. "I feel better this morning. Doctor Rhodes is going to get my cast on tomorrow."

"That's great, Joey," Lisa said, checking his chart. "How does your chest feel?"

"I can breathe easier and it doesn't hurt so much. Hey, what's wrong?"

He'd sensed her nervousness. "Joey, your dad posted bail about five minutes ago. The DA called me, and I've made sure security is aware. They know he's not allowed anywhere near you. With any luck, he'll just go home and await trial."

"Okay, then," Joey said. "We had our breakfast and Nurse Regina gave us sponge baths. So I guess it's time for Moks and me to start readin' 'cause there's not much on TV right now." Lisa nodded.

"Lisa, could you move me over to Joey's bed so I can sit with him?" Mokuba asked.

"Okay, sweetie. What book are you guys reading?"

"If it's okay, Joey, I want us to read _Patriot Games,_" Mokuba answered. Joey agreed to that, and Lisa picked the little boy up, book and all, and carried him over to sit with Joey. "Can you sit and read with us, too, Lisa?" Lisa nodded to her (as far as they were now concerned) little brother, and sat down in a chair next to Joey's bed. "All right," Mokuba said, opening the book, "Chapter one… 'A Sunny Day in Londontown.'"

Mokuba read for a few minutes, and then let Joey read. The older boy commented, "We've both nearly met the Man Upstairs and here we are readin' about terrorist attacks that kill people. Isn't there somethin' wrong with this?"

"Just read the book, Joey," Mokuba said, slightly disgusted. Lisa smiled at this, and listened as Joey read, relaxing for a brief moment, having a feeling she wouldn't have all that long to relax.

Meanwhile, Jacob Robert Wheeler left the Domino County Jail, fuming at what had happened. He had been angry the day that his pathetic ex-wife and weak little daughter had left six years ago. Until that day, he hadn't truly known loss of control in his household, but he vowed it would never happen again. He controlled Joey by bringing him into line with swift beatings when the boy disobeyed him even slightly. He didn't buy what that female lawyer from the public defense group had told him about Joey's injuries. _They're all lying XXXXs, the lot of them_, he thought in disgust. Against the lawyer's advice, he refused to make a statement to the press that gave even a modicum of sympathy to his son, and avoided the press when leaving jail.

Jake went to the supermarket, bought a large quantity of beer (as the 7-11 would no longer sell to him), and then headed back to the apartment. When he entered, he noticed the state of the place. _The boy should've cleaned up this place! I'll bet he's laughing in that hospital!_ The furniture was slung about in the living room, and a glass table was broken with a nasty swath of blood on it, and blood drops went from the table to the door. But rather than think about how the blood splotches got there, Jake again let his rage take him. He opened a beer and gulped it down like water, then another and another. Then he went to his bedroom and to the closet where he did indeed have a gun concealed beneath a floorboard, hidden in an old cigar box. It was a Colt .45 pistol, which he loaded and holstered. After one more beer, Jake Wheeler left his apartment and headed to Domino Children's Hospital.

Y

At 11:10 AM, Lisa, Joey and Mokuba were still embroiled in Tom Clancy's "Patriot Games," having read for over an hour. Lisa was reading from a section in the book where the hero was in a hospital recovering from a gunshot wound he'd received while foiling a terrorist attack on Prince Charles and Princess Diana. And then Joey's eyes went wide.

"What the—?! Lisa!"

Lisa sensed what Joey sensed, laid the book down, and jumped to her feet. "Stay here, both of you!" She ran from the room, sensing anger and a horrifying sense of purpose from Joey's father. Mokuba, sensing the fear and anger, pulled close to Joey as he would Seto. Despite the pain it caused the older boy, Joey held Mokuba close as he had held Serenity when their mom and dad fought.

Lisa tore out of the room, heart pounding in her chest. Scout Rhodes saw Lisa, questions on the older doctor's face. "Scout, we have a Code Green and Code Purple!"

"Lisa?"

"Joey Wheeler's dad is coming and I think he's armed. Go!" Scout ran down the hall, knowing to trust the teen doctor's instincts. She informed security that an armed assailant was coming (Code Green) and that all ambulances and helicopters must be diverted to other hospitals (Code Purple).

_"She's Got the Power" by Stan Bush_

Lisa got downstairs and out to the front of the hospital. She, thanks to Joey, could sense Jacob Wheeler's presence and knew he was feeling murderous. The girl took a deep breath and mentally prayed. _Dear Lord, help me to protect this hospital and all who are in it. Help me to possibly reason with Joey's dad. Give me strength and peace to accept what will come. Thank You for giving me my love, my friends and my family and give them Your peace if the worst should occur. Amen._

Lisa summoned her abilities and used them to create a shield around the hospital. She did it just in time, because the man she knew meant harm emerged from bushes and walked toward her. She stood tall, arms thrown out in a protective posture. _You shall not pass_, she thought.

Jacob Robert Wheeler strode from the bushes and saw the little XXXX that had made certain he was charged for just disciplining his son. She was his first target and he would take her down, then work on the rest. "Out of my way, you little XXXXX, or you'll regret it!" he shouted at her. "I'm here to see my XXXXXXX son!"

"I'm sorry, Mr. Wheeler," Lisa said, voice raised, "but I can't allow you to pass. You're charged with hurting Joey and you're not allowed to see him, sir."

"Get out of my way!" he growled, and then let loose with a string of epithets that would make a merchant marine blush.

"Do you eat with that mouth?" Lisa countered. "I'm still not letting you pass!"

It was then that Jacob Robert Wheeler pulled out his gun.

_Oh, God, help me, please! _Lisa prayed, hoping that the help wouldn't be in the form of Jake Wheeler being a good shot.

Y

At 11:30 AM at Domino High School, Yugi, Teá, Tristan, Duke, Bakura and Seto were in gym class. Today, Mr. Anderson had elected for the class to play dodge ball which allowed the Jedi teens an opportunity to practice using their telekinetic abilities. Yugi, Teá, Tristan and Duke used their powers to control the dodge balls that they threw at Seto (Bakura could only throw the balls) while the teen multibillionaire used his abilities to repel the balls without the teacher being the wiser.

And then, an announcement came over the loudspeaker. "Attention, please. Yugi Muto, Seto Kaiba, Tristan Taylor, Teá Gardner, Duke Devlin and Bakura Ryou, report to the principal's office immediately. All other students and teachers must report to the auditorium." The six teens looked at each other and left the gym.

"Any idea as to what's going on?" Bakura asked curiously.

Seto reached out with his mind to his beloved. _Lisa?_ The way was blocked. He could sense that she was alive and scared, but for some reason, she wasn't letting him into her thoughts. "Guys, she's not letting me sense her thoughts," he said, concerned.

"You guys don't think..?!" Teá asked, beginning to panic. The group broke into a run and got to the office quickly. Mr. Darby was waiting for them.

"Hi, kids. C'mon in," he said seriously as they went through the secretary's office, "you ought to know… There's a situation at Domino Children's." Elizabeth, Serenity, Mai, Roland and Bryce were in the principal's office with a TV on.

Roland moved closely to his employer. "Mr. Kaiba, Lisa is in trouble."

And then Seto saw the screen. "'Standoff,'" he read. "How long…?"

Serenity answered, "It's been about twenty minutes. They ran a couple of codes at the hospital and Lisa ran outside to stop him. Bryce got called, and he brought us here after we picked Mai up from her apartment."

"The news report started about ten minutes ago," Elizabeth said softly. "She's been standing with him holding that gun for fifteen minutes."

Meanwhile, back in Kirkland, Washington, Gigi Hammond had turned on the ABC affiliate's 11 AM news broadcast as she sorted her clean laundry and rolled towels when the news commentator said, "We're getting breaking news from Domino City. There is a standoff at their Children's Hospital." Gigi turned to the screen just as the camera showed the man with the gun and….

"_**Lisa**_!" Gigi grabbed the phone, quickly dialed and within seven minutes, her husband and son were home and glued to the TV set with her. Eddie, in particular, had dreaded a situation like this where he couldn't defend his sister. He remembered a conversation he'd had with her just before she'd left Kirkland over a year before…

Y

"Lisa, there's no way I can talk you out of this, is there?" Eddie asked his sister in his nonchalant way, hazel-brown eyes gazing at her, the sister who was nearly five years his junior and yet so brilliant, she was becoming an adult faster than he was. She was packing up her things to be shipped to Domino that June day in 2002. She would be starting a new job at Domino Children's Hospital as a public practice doctor and Edward Brandon Hammond was happy for his sister and yet he hated letting her out of his sight.

"Eddie, I've got to do this. It's like you playing soccer or doing artwork. You wouldn't be happy if you couldn't do those things, and I've got to go to Domino. It's a great opportunity for me and I need to do it."

"Now I know what Dad means when he says you're fourteen going on thirty," Eddie laughed, and then sighed. "But you're still fourteen, you know?" His expression betrayed his worry and Lisa gave her big brother a hug.

"Eddie, I know you worry about me, and I know you want to protect me…"

"Like I've always done a good job of that." Eddie was referring to when he was twelve and Lisa was seven and two occasions of their playing together had led to her badly breaking her leg in the spring and then in the fall. Lisa smiled as her brother smiled ruefully.

"Eddie, if it wasn't for those accidents, I wouldn't have gotten extra work credit on treating broken bones. Don't sweat that," she said happily. "You'll always be there for me, big brother, even if you're not right there with me…."

Y

Eddie clasped his hands together and prayed in his head, _Dear God, please protect Lisa. Help her because I can't!_

Back in Mr. Darby's office, the group of kids and adults watched the standoff and heard the running commentary. Since over half an hour had gone by, the press members had started repeating themselves because nothing had happened after Jake Wheeler had pulled his gun. Seto tried to contact Lisa again, but to no avail. So he reached out to Joey and his brother.

_Joey? Mokuba? Can you two hear me?_

_Seto! _Joey and Mokuba both sent.

_Are you two all right?_

_Big brother,_ Mokuba sent, worried, _what's happening? _

_Yeah, Seto, is my dad out there?_ Joey asked.

_Yeah, he's out there and he's got a gun pointed at Leese. They've been standing like that for over half an hour._

_What's she doing? Is she defending herself?_ Mokuba wanted to know.

_I don't know what she's doing, but we'll see, little brother._

Seto kept light contact with his friend and his brother, and kept his eyes on the TV screen. Joey, meanwhile, kept holding Mokuba tight. "Mokuba, I'm gonna pray, all right?"

"Okay, Joey. Can I pray with you?"

"Yeah. Just close your eyes and stay close." He felt Mokuba nod, and so Joey crossed himself. "Dear Lord, please help Lisa stop my dad. Please don't let him hurt anybody…"

Y

Even though Lisa kept her thoughts shielded from her friends, she could sense all of them and her family willing their strength to her. It had been almost 45 minutes since Jacob Wheeler had first come and drawn his gun and Lisa had stood her ground. She wondered why he hadn't simply fired. So she tried talking to him.

"Mr. Wheeler, why not just surrender? And why do this when you have a chance in the courts?"

"You don't know, you little XXXX! You and your little XXXXs run the world. You're supposed to submit to men!"

"Why do you think that?"

"Men run the world, but they've given their control to little XXXXs!"

"Why did you hurt Joey, then? Were you trying to get him to submit?"

"He's a pathetic little XXXX who doesn't care! He's happy having XXXXs run his life!"

"None of us 'run his life,' Mr. Wheeler. We women are friends with him. And he's a nice boy."

She'd hoped that talking to him would maybe get Jake to lower the gun and surrender, but no such luck. And now, it was drawing to noon. Lisa knew that eventually Jacob Wheeler would tire of standing there with his gun and either shoot or drop it. She didn't contemplate other possibilities. It was at this moment she sensed her fiancé reaching for her. _Please stay with me, Lisa… I can't lose you._

Seto was terrified of losing her, and so she temporarily lowered her mental shields and sent, _I'm not going to leave you, love._ Seto heard that thought, and in his mind's eye, saw Lisa standing in front of him with the Blue Eyes White Dragon surrounding her protectively. It was then that all heck broke loose.

Jake Wheeler had finally tired of pointing the gun at the girl that stood in his way. He'd thought she'd get the message that he meant business when he flashed the gun at her. Pity he didn't have an automatic weapon, he mused; otherwise, he would've heavily loaded the thing, killed her and then rampaged through the hospital. As it was, he had six bullets in that gun. At least one of those would silence this little XXXXX, and then another bullet would silence his son. And then, he would silence himself. He'd never get a fair trial because chances were he'd get a female judge. But to make his plans work, he had to get through this doctor first. "C'mon, little girl," he said, effecting a smooth voice, "you can't keep me outta there forever."

Lisa looked at the man, noting how much in certain ways that Joey resembled him. Physically, anyway. He had Joey's blonde hair and brown eyes, but the eyes didn't have Joey's humor or warmth. She took a deep breath and said, "I can keep you away, Mr. Wheeler. I will **not** let you into this hospital and you will **not **harm my patients!"

"Well, if you feel that way about it," the drunken man said, grinning nastily. He fired his gun.

"_**Shots have been fired! The doctor has been hit**_!" Commentators all over the country shouted as one. Lisa's family gasped in horror.

"_**Lisa**_!" Seto screamed.

"_**Big sister**_!" Mokuba cried out, and Joey hugged him close. "Moks, don't let go," Joey said, keeping his voice calm.

Lisa had been hit. She felt a burning sensation on the upper part of her left arm and then a most unpleasant wet sensation. She also registered that her sleeve was torn. The wound stung, and it focused the teen Jedi girl. "Yes, I do feel that way, Mr. Wheeler," she answered, her eyes glowing like blue flame and her hair fluttering like it was being blown by a breeze. She summoned the same powers she was using to shield the hospital, but now used a small amount of it to repel. "_**Jedi Strike**_!" she shouted, blasting the man off his feet.

"What in the world?!" commentators yelled. "The assailant has been knocked backward and the source of the power that knocked him back appears to be Lisa Hammond! How did she do that?!" They had seen a sort of blue wave moving toward Jake Wheeler which had emanated from Lisa, and then he'd fallen down.

"What the—?!" Mai yelped.

"Great Scott!" Bakura exclaimed. "How did—?!"

"It's her powers," Seto said, eyes wide.

"Now what?" Yugi asked.

Lisa stood tall as Jake Wheeler regained his footing. He took several strides toward her until he was fifteen feet away from her. Lisa could smell the rank odor of cheap beer on him, and he was looking at her. Jacob Robert Wheeler looked like a hellish older version of Joey, his eyes wild. And then Lisa got a horrible, sinking sense of déjà vu. "Mr. Wheeler," she said calmly (though she definitely didn't feel it), "why don't you just surrender? Stop this before it gets worse."

But his eyes took on a madness that Lisa would see forever in her nightmares. "You wanted to stop me?!" he snarled, turning the angle of the gun to himself.

"_**No, don't!**_" Lisa shrieked, knowing what would happen before it happened, yet being powerless to stop it.

"_**You'll stop me**_!" he shouted, placing the gun in his mouth and pulling the trigger. The back of Jacob Robert Wheeler's head blew away in a pink cloud and his ruined body sank to the ground. The news commentators gasped in shock at this development. Lisa, for her part, sank to her knees in shock. _No…_

The world began to spin, and Lisa Angela Hammond felt blackness at the edge of her vision. She gave in, and mercifully passed out in front of the entire world.

_And that's the end of chapter twenty. I made Joey's dad really mean. From what I've gathered, he isn't a nice guy. I hope this was realistic enough. And now, Lisa's powers have been revealed to the world. She's an emotional mess. So what will happen next? Well, it will be interesting…_

_Read and review… please?_


	26. Aftermath

Chapter XXI: Aftermath

_Welcome back, everybody, and thanks to Invader101 for reviewing the last chapter. I'm glad to have other loyal readers too, like The Akemi Queen of Sakia, Glimerofhope and Fleeting Illicit Delicious. I know there are lots more of you, so thank you and feel free to leave a review! This story is fun to write and I'm glad to know you're having fun reading it! From what I gathered, Joey's dad will not be mourned. I figured he'd kill himself because, like so many abusers fear happening, he lost his control and knew there was nothing he could do to get it back._

_**Author's note, five years later: **__Some minor tweaks yet again. I also eliminated the recap._

The entire world watched as Lisa Angela Hammond revealed her powers. Before millions could absorb that, they saw a man snarl and blow the back of his skull off because he could not live in a world where he couldn't rule his domain with an iron fist. And then, they watched as the blonde-brown-haired blue-eyed teen girl with the bloody left sleeve sank to the ground.

In Kirkland, Washington, Gigi Hammond cried out, "Lisa," while her husband whispered his daughter's nickname, "Peacher." Eddie Hammond, though, watched his sister fall, and mentally berated himself for not being able to protect her.

At Domino High School, Lisa's friends and the young man who was to be her husband watched in horror as the events unfolded, and Seto Kaiba's heart contracted painfully as he watched his beloved turn extremely pale. At first, he feared the injury to her arm was finally taking its toll, but then he reached to her mind. _No…So much blood…Too much… Seto…_ And then he felt her fall unconscious.

"She just passed out," he said, looking at the frightened people around him.

Mr. Darby's eyebrows raised in question. Realizing he had no choice but to tell the truth, Seto said, "We're like her. What she did to stop him we might be capable of."

Mr. Darby nodded. "That's normal, then?"

"Yeah," the boy answered. "I need to get to her."

Mr. Darby nodded. "The press is going to make it hard for all of you kids to be here for the next few days. If you want to come to school, you can, but you won't have to. Seto, you'll probably want to be out of here. Take care of your girlfriend." He said a few words of comfort to the Wheeler women, and then the group got out of the office, headed to the limo, and rode silently to Domino Children's Hospital.

Y

Paramedics raced out to the Domino Children's Hospital parking lot where two inert bodies lay. They checked one body, but only as a formality. The ruined head of the middle-aged male showed that there was no hope of his being alive, but they had to confirm that the subject was indeed dead. They covered the corpse and moved to the next patient, a fifteen-year-old girl. They knew who she was, having often talked with her when they'd brought patients to her, but now that didn't matter. Lisa Hammond was a patient herself.

"Lisa, are you with us?" a dark-haired female paramedic asked, while the other took her pulse.

"She's out cold," the other paramedic, a light-brown-haired, green-eyed male said. "It's probably the shock." The female medic nodded.

"We need a cart over here!" she shouted, and someone quickly brought the gurney. They lifted the unconscious girl onto it, and quickly rolled her into the ER. Scout Rhodes, Darla Truesdale, Jayda Yuki and Hiro Misawa were all waiting.

"Take her into that private exam room," Scout directed the medics. "Darla, go get a can of apple juice. It'll help her regain her strength." Darla nodded her blue head, gray eyes betraying her worry.

Scout cut Lisa's damaged scrub top off and removed the t-shirt beneath, as both had quite a bit of blood on them. But for all the blood, Lisa's arm wasn't badly damaged. The bullet had only grazed her arm, leaving what looked like a nasty cut. The doctor cleaned and dressed the wound, and then grabbed a cool wash cloth. She laid it on Lisa's forehead and called the girl's name softly. "Lisa, sweetie, it's all right. You're safe and in the hospital. C'mon and wake up."

Lisa's eyes fluttered open and she looked at Scout. "Here, honey, take a drink," the older doctor said, bringing the can of juice to the girl's lips and supporting her as she sat up. "Are you all right?" Lisa nodded. "Can I get you anything?"

Lisa considered this a minute. "Want Seto," she answered in a monotone. "Want Seto."

"Okay, sweetheart. He'll be here."

"Want Seto…" Lisa lay back down, and went silent again.

It took twenty minutes for the Kaiba limousine to reach Domino Children's Hospital and for the group to get into the hospital. "Guys, go upstairs and tell Mokie I'll be right there. I've got to be sure Lisa'll be okay," Seto said as they got into the hospital.

"Got it, Seto," Yugi said as he and the group headed for the elevator. An orderly came to the teen CEO and led him to the exam room where Doctor Rhodes was standing outside for a moment.

"Oh, Seto, thank goodness," Scout said as he walked up.

"How's Lisa?"

Scout looked very worried, and took a deep breath. "She's very shaken up right now. She's barely said a word since it happened. The gunshot she suffered was just a graze, but I'm more worried about her emotional state right now. All she's said in the last half-hour is 'want Seto.' She needs you right now."

"Okay," he answered softly, and walked into the room. Lisa was lying on the exam room bed, staring up at the ceiling. She was in despair, and as pained as Seto had ever seen her. _If You're there, help me,_ he prayed in his head. "Leese, babe, I'm here." She sat up and looked straight at him. He sat down next to her and she hugged him tightly and began to cry. The crying quickly became racking sobs. "It's okay, let it out; shhhh…" He rubbed her back gently in a calming motion.

Finally, after about fifteen minutes of crying, her sobs quieted. Seto grabbed a box of tissue, and helped Lisa wipe her eyes and nose. She was wearing a paper gown over her upper half which was disintegrating because it had gotten very wet. The teen boy got a good look at the bra she was wearing (a very pretty pink one with Cs crisscrossed over the cups) and asked, "Do you want me to get a new top for you? I'll bet you're cold." She nodded. "Lisa, let me go for a minute. I'll be right back, I promise." With a definite amount of reluctance, she let him go.

"Dr. Rhodes," he asked, sticking his head out the door, "Lisa could use a new top. The paper gown kind of disintegrated." The doctor nodded, headed down the hall and into the doctors' locker room and came back with a clean large blue t-shirt for Lisa to wear. Seto helped his love into the shirt, and then just sat with her for a bit. He sensed he shouldn't make her talk, opting instead for her to talk when she was ready.

"Seto," she asked finally, "did you see..?"

"I did. You were very brave out there, babe. The whole world saw…"

"I saw a guy blow his brains out," she whimpered, burying her face against his chest again. She trembled and shook. "I couldn't do anything to stop him, Seto. I didn't want him dead!" Her voice shook, and again she drifted into silence. It was at this moment, the district attorney showed up.

"Mr. Kaiba?"

"Hello, Ms. Van de Kamp. Do you want to take Lisa's statement?"

"Only if she's all right to do it," the redheaded woman answered, taking in the scene.

Lisa took a shaky breath. "I can do that," she answered softly. "I want to talk… Only if Seto can stay in here with me." Bree nodded, and set up the equipment necessary to take the teen girl's statement. When the young doctor got to the part about Jake Wheeler taking his life, she couldn't say any more. Bree thanked Lisa for giving the statement, and left.

Seto asked softly, "Should I go get Mokuba? Are you up to it?" She nodded. "I'll be right back," he said. As Seto walked toward the elevator, he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket, calling Lisa's parents.

"Hello?" Gigi Hammond greeted, sounding extremely worried.

"Hi, Gigi. I'm sorry I didn't call sooner."

"Oh, Seto, thank goodness. Is Lisa all right?"

"She was only grazed by the bullet. Emotionally, she's really shaken, though. She's barely talked since it happened. I was just on my way up to get Mokuba so Lisa can see him before I get her out of here. I don't want the press mobbing her right now."

"We've been praying she was okay. I just wish we were down there right now with you. I know this is the worst time to ask you, sweetie, but did you ask her?"

"Oh, crap, we must've forgotten to call you! I asked her Saturday night and she said yes."

"It's all right, honey. She's just like her father. He gets single-focused and forgets to tell me important things. Lisa takes after Darren so much. Did you get her a ring?"

"Yeah. This is the fourth generation it's been used as an engagement ring, and it fit her perfectly. I'll keep her safe, Gigi, and I'll make her feel better. I'll try to get her to talk to you later, okay?"

"Okay, Seto. I'll let you go, all right? Love you, sweetie."

"Love you guys, too." It came easier every time he said it. He had started to really love the Hammonds and was glad he had them to look to. He was finally at the third floor, and Roland was standing outside the door to Joey and Mokuba's room.

"Sir, is everything okay?" the security guard asked.

"She's really upset," the boy answered. "I'm going to get her out of here, but she wants to see Mokuba first. I don't know how, but I've got to make her feel better."

"Just be there for her," Roland advised softly. "My wife Lorelei lost her mother when my older boy was two. Her mom was hit by a motorcycle while on a morning jog. Lori raged and cried, and all I could do was just hold her and love her."

Seto regarded his security man for a moment, then said, "Thanks, Roland." He walked into the room, where an hour ago there had been tears, hugs and comfort.

"Hey, guys," Seto said, and then turned to the Wheelers. Joey stopped him before he could say anything.

"Say it later, okay, Seto? Please?" Joey asked. The blonde boy looked very winded, having had to deal with his emotions along with his injuries.

Seto understood completely. _His father may have been mean, but Jacob Wheeler was still Joey's father. _Even though he'd been angry with his biological father, Seto still mourned Richard Delaney's loss. Mokuba was sitting in the arms of Tristan Taylor and had obviously been crying.

"Thanks, Tristan," Seto said softly. Tristan gave the other boy a small smile, and Mokuba flung himself into his big brother's arms. "Mokie, do you want to go see Lisa?"

"Yeah, big brother. Is she okay?" Everyone turned to look at Seto, the same question on their lips.

"She's really shaken up. As soon as she's had a little time with Mokuba, I'm getting her out of here. I know she'd like to see all of you, but she is really upset."

"Give her a hug from all of us," Teá said.

"I will." With that, the teen CEO carried his little brother out of the room and down to Lisa's exam room.

"Big sister," Mokuba said when his brother set him down next to her, and hugged Lisa tightly. She hugged the little boy back. "Are you going to be okay?" he asked softly. She nodded tiredly. And then Seto hugged them both, being careful of Lisa's sore arm.

The three sat in a triple hug for a long moment and then released. "Mokie, I'm going to take you back upstairs now, okay? Lisa, is that all right?" Lisa nodded, again having withdrawn into silence.

Mokuba gave Lisa another hug and a kiss on the cheek. "I love you, big sister," he said softly, and she smiled back at him. But then her smile faltered, and she looked as if she was going to cry again. Seto took Mokuba back upstairs to his room, said goodbye to the group and then headed back downstairs. Lisa was quickly discharged from the hospital, and Seto carried her out the back exit to the waiting limo.

"Babe?" he asked as they sped away. "Leese, do you want to have pizza delivered later?" She didn't answer. "Leese?" He put his arm around her, and she leaned against his chest. The emotions he was feeling from her were fear, pain and despair. And there was a flicker of something else he wasn't sure of. "I'll order some pizza with pepperoni and black olives. Maybe you'll feel like it later."

He called Gino's and made the order. They drove by the restaurant instead of having it delivered. Seto hoped that the smell of her favorite pizza might perk Lisa up, but on this night there was a dullness in Lisa's eyes that could not be banished by food. They arrived at the mansion at 5:30, and Seto took the pizza into the kitchen. He thought Lisa was right behind him, but when he turned around, she wasn't there. Worried, he headed back toward the limo, fast. The driver was heading up the walkway to the front door as Seto headed down it.

"Jerry, where's Lisa?"

"Mr. Kaiba," the driver said, "she's just lying there in the backseat. She doesn't seem to want to move, sir."

Seto, without a word, moved to the limo door and Lisa was curled in a fetal position in the backseat, crying softly.

"Leese? Babe?" She wasn't talking. "C'mon, let's get you inside," he said lovingly, taking her in his arms and carrying her into the house. He knew she was of heavier build, but at this moment, he was amazed at how light she seemed in his arms. The thought that he could've lost Lisa today was agony. And to have her safe and okay in his arms would be heaven.

He took her to his bedroom and gently laid her down on his own bed. "Leese, if you're not hungry yet, I was wondering if you'd like a bath. I got some bath bombs from your favorite shop. Why don't I fill up my bathtub for you? It's bigger." She didn't say anything. So he went and filled up his own bathtub, which was as long as a queen-size mattress and as wide as a full-size mattress. It was deep enough that a single person could sit in the tub when it was half-full and be submerged just below the shoulders. Seto dropped seven bath bombs in the tub which contained seven rosebuds each. He also lit several candles so that the room was gently illuminated.

"Leese," he said as he came back in the bedroom, "it's ready. Why don't you go into the bathroom and get in?" He helped her off the bed and then she wouldn't let go of his hand. "Lisa, do you want me in there?" She looked at him and nodded. "Okay, then," he answered. He followed her into the bathroom, vaguely realizing that he was still in his gym clothes. Lisa, either ignoring or not caring that he was in the bathroom with her, stripped off her clothes and stood naked in front of him dispassionately. This wasn't like the time she was sick with the flu, he realized. At least then, she hadn't had that horrifying blank look on her face.

Lisa eased into the tub and stared off into space. Had she been okay and okay with him being in the bathroom, Seto knew she would have talked to him. Her very silence scared him because even when she was frightened, she would talk, but this was a different silence. "Lisa," he said, "I'm going to use the sponge and help you clean up a little, all right?" Still, she was silent… _What can I do?_ He grabbed a sea sponge and got it wet, using it to run the warm, scented bath water over his love's shoulders and then gently began washing her bare back. She was unresponsive for the most part and that scared him.

The young man got his love clean, and hoped she would relax and open up. "Do you want to get out now?" Seto asked when she looked up at him. She nodded and he reached with his powers to grab her bathrobe. He helped her into it and walked her to his bed where a pair of her clean underwear and a warm nightgown was waiting.

"Lisa, I'm going to get a shower and change into my pajamas, okay? Then we can have some dinner." It was 7:15 now, and it would be a good idea for them to eat something. Seto headed into the walk-through closet and shut the door. He selected a pair of gray cotton pajamas for himself, as well as a clean pair of boxers. He quickly got in the shower and scrubbed himself off. Seto couldn't remember ever being this worried, except when Mokuba had been in surgery. The Lisa he loved so much now had withdrawn and was acting completely out of character. _Help me, Lord. I don't know how to help her,_ he prayed.

Seto expected that when he reentered his bedroom that Lisa would be in her nightgown. However, the sight that graced his eyes was the woman he loved, sitting in only her panties, her knees drawn up under her chin and her arms wrapped around her legs. Her blue eyes were full of tears, and the young man knew he'd need to hold her close and let her cry.

"Lisa," he asked, sitting down on the bed, "are you okay? You're going to get cold if you don't get that nightgown on."

She looked at him, and flew into his arms, crying. She began sobbing and keening. Her emotions were incredibly strong and Seto had to raise his mental shields a bit so he could keep himself together. "Leese," he soothed, "you're going to be okay… let it out." He gently rubbed the bare skin on her back, continuing to make soothing noises. She sobbed for a good twenty minutes before she finally started to calm down. "Lisa," he asked when she looked up at him, "can I get you something?" She shook her head. "Can I do something for you?" he asked.

Lisa looked up at the young man she was going to spend the rest of her life with. _I almost died today, and…_ The part of her that was logical and calm wasn't in control right at this moment and what she wanted the most was to be close with Seto. And so she leaned up and kissed his lips, pressing against him. Oh, she wanted this…Why had she not given into this before?

Seto, for his part, enjoyed Lisa kissing him and pressing herself close. But then he came to his senses. "Mrmph… Leese, what are you thinking?" She looked up at him, the hunger in her eyes saying more than any words could. "Do you want to do what I think you want to do?" he asked, getting more than a bit nervous. She nodded, the hunger not abating. "Leese, it wouldn't be right. You're not okay tonight and I'd feel like I'd be taking advantage of you. It wouldn't be right."

And then for the first time in quite a while, she spoke. "Don't you..?"

"I want to, but…Leese, after what you've been through today, I don't want us to wake up tomorrow regretting our first time. I don't want us to start our life together on the wrong foot and I love you too much to let that happen. Why don't I give you a backrub and get you relaxed, help you get your nightgown on and then get our dinner up here? We could watch a movie, too."

To his relief, Lisa nodded, again looking on the verge of tears. "Seto… honey, I'm sorry." He wiped her eyes.

"Leese, don't be sorry. You saw horrible things today, and I don't blame you for being so upset. Just relax." He got her to lie down on the bed on her stomach, and he grabbed a few body butters. "What body butter would you like? I've got mango, key lime and lavender."

"Lavender, please," she said softly. He opened the jar and the sweet scent of lavender touched his senses. The scent was relaxing to him, and reminded him of the sachets his mom kept in her lingerie drawers. He got some of the butter out of the jar and put it on Lisa's bare back. The skin on her back was smooth and soft, but he could tell she was very tense. He gently rubbed her neck and shoulders, and then moved down her back. He could feel her relaxing, physically and mentally as he massaged her. Oddly, he knew this should be driving him crazy, considering she'd made clear earlier what she wanted earlier, but it wasn't. All he cared about at this moment was making her feel okay again. He massaged her back, shoulders and neck for half an hour, and then stopped.

"Leese?"

"Hm?"

"Shall I help you get your nightgown on you?" he asked.

"Okay," she answered softly, sitting up. He grabbed the nightgown, a cream-colored, long-sleeve cotton gown with little purple flowers all over it and a little ruffle at the bottom and helped her into it.

"I'm going to go get us our pizza, Leese. I'll bring a few sodas up, and you can pick what you want." She nodded and he headed down the stairs to get the food and drinks. He headed back upstairs quickly with the food and drinks and discovered his love sitting up, but under the covers and watching TV. "Hey, are you feeling better?"

"A little bit," she said softly. She'd turned on _Whose Line is it, Anyway_ because she needed a laugh or at least something that kept her mind off things. Seto brought her a plate with two slices of pizza on it and a can of her favorite diet cherry cola, then came back with his own plate and a can of lemon-lime diet soda. He got into bed next to her and they watched and ate silently, except for a few chuckles when the men on _Whose Line_ did something terribly funny.

"Hey, Lisa?" Seto asked at the commercial. "Would you like a little more pizza?" She nodded and he went to the table and got the box. He brought it back, and together they finished the last four slices of pizza in the box. It was a little bit early in the evening, about nine o'clock when they finished their dinner, but the couple was exhausted. "You don't feel like watching a movie, do you?" Seto asked his love. Lisa shook her head, already starting to nod off. "Okay. I'll clean this up quick."

Seto picked up the pizza box, got out of bed and went and picked up the cans of soda he and Lisa hadn't opened and drank. He carried everything downstairs, put the cans back in the fridge and tossed the pizza box in the trash. He put the two plates in the dishwasher and headed back upstairs to his bedroom. _Is it our bedroom now?_ He wondered at this because though he and Lisa likely wouldn't do anything, he had a feeling that they wouldn't sleep in separate rooms now.

"Leese?" he called softly, walking into the room. He looked at her and saw she was sound asleep. Despite the injury to her left arm, to him she still looked angelic. He smiled a little bit at the sight of her. She was sleeping on her right side, her full lips were parted as she breathed and he could see her long, pretty eyelashes. "Good night, Leese," he said softly, kissing her cheek. He climbed into bed next to her, and (to his surprise) was fast asleep within five minutes.

Y

Where am I? I'm running through a dark place. I hear a gunshot and screaming. I burst into a hallway at Domino Children's and I'm running toward the screaming. _Oh, please, God, no! Don't let this happen!_ Joey's dad has Mokuba in a tight grip and has that gun to Mokie's head, like Kemo did. Somehow, I know Joey's dead. Somehow, Joey's dad got into the hospital.

"Let him go!" I shout, desperate to free Mokuba. "He's just a baby! Take me instead!" I'd rather die than let Mokuba be harmed again. But Joey's dad knows how to torture me.

"Oh, you'd like that, wouldn't you? My son said the same thing… right before I did this!" He cocks the gun and fires. He drops Mokuba's dead, bloody body and moves towards me. I'm paralyzed and part of me is screaming to run, but I cannot move. And at this moment, part of me doesn't care. He moves toward me with the gun, grinning like a demon. Mokuba's dead, Joey's dead, and I won't be able to get away.

_Goodbye, Seto…_ Joey's dad comes to me, covered in Joey's and Mokuba's blood. "Say goodbye, XXXXX!" He fires…

Y

Lisa woke up screaming. Seto, fortunately, was already awake having sensed his love's nightmare. "Leese…Leese, it's okay…you're safe, Mokie's safe, Joey's safe and everybody's safe. He's dead, he can't hurt you anymore."

She blinked a few times to reorient herself and looked into her beloved's eyes. "You're okay?" Lisa asked. He nodded. "Just hold me," she said softly. Lisa lay down and Seto held her, rubbing her back again while hugging her close. She fell back to sleep, and he followed soon after.

_And that concludes Chapter 21. Read and review, folks!_


	27. A Dreamy Day

Chapter XXII: A Dreamy Day

_Greetings again, Yu-Gi-Oh fans! I'm sorry for the delay in posting new chapters! At least this has given me the opportunity to make my rewrites carefully. This latest chapter is being put up within a couple of hours of Chapter 21 for syrusfanatic12 because there's a certain group of munchkins she'd like to see! Anyway, the last chapter and this one have been more Seto/Lisa heavy. I know some of you were expecting a lemon or lime last chapter, as was in the original thing I posted, but I really got to thinking when I took the opportunity to rewrite that it really wouldn't be right after the day she had, so I elected to change that. It won't come for a little bit longer. _

_Recap: Lisa was badly shaken after Joey's dad killed himself in front of her. Seto took her home, and took care of her. What's next for our couple and the group? Just stay tuned!_

_Disclaimer: This story is ©2007, Peach Wookiee Tales. Peach doesn't own characters from Yu-Gi-Oh, Grey's Anatomy or anything else. She only owns Lisa and Lisa's family, and any non-established characters. __**Author's notes, some time later:**__ I changed Bastion's parents' back story a little bit and brought his mother into line with the universe I share with my co-author, 15animefreak15._

Seto James Kaiba awoke at 8:00 on Tuesday morning. At first, he was slightly disoriented and couldn't remember where he was or why his fiancée was sleeping huddled close to him. _Oh, yeah_, he remembered. She was sleeping peacefully after that horrible nightmare. The young man somehow knew that wouldn't be the last nightmare she would have, and so he concluded the sleeping arrangement they'd had last night would now be semi-permanent.

He moved quietly out of bed and into the walk-in closet. _I'll have to get some space cleared for Lisa's things,_ he thought. _Oh, great, I'll have to tell Mokuba._ He went into the bathroom, answered the call of nature, went back into the walk-in closet and grabbed a silk robe and put it on. He headed downstairs to the kitchen and got a glass of orange juice for himself and a glass of grape juice for Lisa. The young man got a few pastries and some fruit for breakfast and walked back upstairs.

Lisa was still sleeping soundly when Seto returned to his… _their_… bedroom. He grabbed his remote control and turned on the hidden TV at the foot of their bed. He turned on one of the cable networks, hoping to check the morning stocks, but the topic of discussion was "the Domino Standoff." The various reporters and pundits described Lisa as brave, determined to protect her patients and other heroic terms. He switched channels to a national news show on broadcast TV and again the topic was what had happened in Domino. Seto mentally surrendered and watched "The Psychological Profiles of Abusers." At 8:30, though, the morning show switched to a Bryan Adams mini-concert, and this was the time that Lisa awoke. She smiled as Bryan sang one of her favorite songs, "Do I Have to Say the Words?"

"Good morning, babe," Seto said softly, kissing her.

"Good morning, honey. A Bryan Adams mini-concert…"

"Yeah, is that okay?"

"Shh, this is my favorite song." He listened with her, putting his arm around her lovingly. When the song was over and the show went to commercials, she sat up slowly, cuddling close to him. He looked at her, a little bit concerned.

"How are you feeling this morning?"

She smiled a little bit and answered, "A bit better. Thanks for keeping us from… you know..."

"No problem, Lisa. We weren't ready," Seto answered, expression soft. "Here, I got you some juice." He handed her the glass, and she sipped it. "I also brought breakfast."

"Pastries and fruit? Nice." He grabbed the plate of food and they ate their fill.

"Leese?"

"Yeah?"

"When do we want to get married? If you want a big wedding…"

"Seto, I don't. I think the best thing for us is if we got married in a small ceremony. If you know a judge, we could do it that way. We could just have a small group of family and friends and the press couldn't get involved."

Seto considered this a moment. "You aren't sacrificing what you really want, are you? I thought you wanted a big wedding."

Lisa took a deep breath and answered, "Honey, since I met you and we got serious, I thought about what kind of wedding I really wanted. If we did a big wedding, it wouldn't be about us putting our lives together. It'd be a photo op, and I want us to be able to focus on celebrating the joining of us rather than worrying about what looks good to the media. We can always do a big ceremony later; say, a renewal of vows a few years from now. I'm not sacrificing my dream. My dream is us forever."

Seto considered what she added. "I can live with that." They finished their breakfast and then Lisa got out of bed.

"I think I'll go get cleaned up and then we can go to the hospital. Mokuba'll need to know I'm okay."

Seto nodded. "Good idea." After she left the room, he thought, _now how do I ask her if she wants to stay in here?_

Y

At Domino Children's Hospital, Joey Wheeler, Mokuba Kaiba and their friends and family awoke at seven AM. George O'Malley came in at that time to check the patients' vitals and if the group needed anything. No one, with the obvious exception of Seto and Lisa, chose to leave in case the two boys needed the group close.

"Morning, everybody," Yugi said, "did everyone sleep okay?"

"Yeah, I did, Yuge," Joey answered, and then noticed something. "Guys, where's Mai?"

Mai wasn't in the room. Teá reached out with her senses, just in case Mai was somewhere that required privacy. "She headed down to the ladies' room," she said, "but something doesn't feel right. She seems… upset about something." Everyone with powers could sense it.

When Mai headed back into the room, everyone greeted her, and Joey asked, "Is everything okay, Mai? You seem a little… upset is all."

"I… um… guess I just had a lot on my mind last night. I didn't sleep very well. The chairs can be kind of uncomfortable." The entire team sensed deception, but chose not to call the pretty blonde girl on it.

"I wonder when my brother and Lisa will be here," Mokuba said, changing the course of conversation.

"They'll be here," Tristan answered. "I'll bet they're going to take it easy this morning, Mokuba."

Seto and Lisa arrived at ten, managing to dodge the press. "I don't know if I'll ever get used to that," she said softly.

"I know. Hopefully, the press will leave us alone for a bit after what happened yesterday, but that won't last forever, Leese."

"I know, Seto. I just don't exactly like our every move being tracked." They walked into the hospital and were met by Dr. Bailey.

"Welcome back, Dr. Hammond. I need to talk to you right now."

"Yes, Doctor." Seto started to move away from Lisa, but Bailey motioned him back.

"Mr. Kaiba, I think you need to be here. Dr. Hammond," she said as they headed into a private conference room, "we need to talk about your duty status. After what happened yesterday, we're all a bit concerned about your emotional status. Lisa, we'd like to take you off active duty for a while, at least until you're recovered from this."

"A while? How long is a while, Doctor Bailey?" The three of them sat at a table, and Seto took Lisa's hand, squeezing it.

"You need at least two months, maybe more, before we'll think you're fit for active duty again. We want you to have time to recover from this because a distracted doctor isn't good for her patients."

Lisa might've argued with this, but Seto squeezed her hand and sent, _Babe, she's right. You need the time to recover._ It was then that Lisa realized she couldn't fight this.

"What about my patients, Miranda?"

"They'll be okay, Lisa. Don't worry about it. Oh, one other thing. Jayda, Darla, Scout and Hiro were all wondering if they could bring their kids to see you, but they wanted to make sure you were up to it."

Lisa smiled, and answered, "Of course. I'll bet they were all worried."

"Good. Why don't I take you into the kids' sitting room and they can bring in the kids? Mr. Kaiba..?"

"I'd really like to stay with my fiancée, if that's all right, Dr. Bailey," Seto said, not wanting to leave Lisa unless he had to.

A few minutes later, in the kids' sitting room, Scout Rhodes led her four-year-old son and her two-year-old daughter to Lisa. "Hi, Lisa, are you feeling okay this morning?" Scout asked, sitting down.

"Yeah, still a little shaken up, though. Hi, Atty, hey, Alexis," she answered and said to the two small children.

"Hi, Dr. Lisa," Atticus Lee Rhodes said, giving her a big smile, his brown eyes sparkling under his brown mop of hair. "Mommy said you needed something."

"Oh, what's that, Atty?"

"This," he answered, climbing up and giving her a huge hug. "C'mon, Alexis!" Two-year-old Alexis Harper Rhodes climbed up with her brother and gave the young doctor a hug.

"Hi, Doctor Lisa," she said. "Mommy said you had a boo-boo."

"I did, Alexis, but your mommy fixed it right up."

"Can I see?" Atticus asked with the enthusiasm little boys have at seeing scars and boogers.

"Okay," Lisa answered, pulling the fresh gauze pad away from the very minor gunshot wound.

"Ew, gross! Cool," Atticus said. "Zane, you gotta see this!" he shouted.

Four-year-old Zane Brian Truesdale ambled into the room, his gray t-shirt and five-pocket jeans contrasting with Atticus's bright Hawaiian shirt. "What is it, Atticus?"

"You gotta see Lisa's boo-boo!"

"Ew, gross!" said a shy, sweet voice. A little boy with gray eyes and blue fluffy hair like his mother's entered the room. Syrus Aidan Truesdale had followed his big brother into the room. "Hi, Lisa. I'm sorry you got hurt yesterday," he said, climbing up to her and giving her a gentle hug. Syrus, like his mother, wore a pair of spectacles, and was wearing a red polo shirt and a pair of jean shorts. For two years old, he was pretty articulate as was little Alexis. She was dressed in a pink t-shirt which was under her jean cover-all dress.

"Atty, that's disgusting," Alexis said to her brother. "Sorry, Lisa."

"It's okay, sweetie. And my owie is getting better. Oh, you kids haven't met my boyfriend. Kids, this is…"

"Whoa, you're Seto Kaiba," Atticus said, awed. "Hi… you really like Lisa?"

"Yeah, kid, and I'm going to marry her. You knew who I was pretty quick, huh?"

"Yeah, Zane and me are going to be top duelists someday, and so are Sy and Lexi!"

Seto smiled at this. "You kids will have to meet my other friends sometime. I'll bet you know who Joey Wheeler, Mai Valentine and Yugi Muto are, don't you?" All four little kids nodded. "Well, maybe sometime, you kids can meet them, okay?"

"_**Yeah**_!" the four kids shouted happily.

"All right, you four, it's time to go to preschool," Darla said. "I'm taking them all to Kenobi this morning, Lisa. Say goodbye, now." The kids all said goodbye to Lisa and Seto, and the Rhodes children bade their mother goodbye.

A few minutes after that, Hiro Misawa brought his son into the room. "Good morning, Lisa, how are you?" Hiro asked.

"I'm feeling better, Hiro, thank you. Hello, Bastion," she said, greeting the gray-eyed and oddly iron gray-haired two-year-old Bastion William Misawa.

"Good morning, Dr. Lisa," the small boy said with a definite British accent. "I hope you're feeling a lot better today."

"I am, Bastion, thank you," she answered as she gave the child a hug. "Oh, I'd like you to meet my fiancé, Bastion. This is Seto James Kaiba. Seto, this is Bastion William Misawa."

"Good morning, Mr. Kaiba, it's a pleasure to meet you," the child said with a gravity beyond his years.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, too, Bastion," Seto answered, meeting the child's gravity. "And since you're such good friends with Lisa, you can call me Seto, okay? How old are you?"

"I'm two and a half and I go to Davida Dyson Preschool for Extraordinary Munchkins, Seto. I'm already learning about algebra and how to properly cross-breed plants. Mummy says I'm old enough that I can learn to cross-breed plants."

"That's very impressive, Bastion," Seto said. "What do you want to be when you grow up?"

"I think I should like to be a scientist and a duelist. Does that sound all right?"

"I think it does, Bastion."

Bastion then looked up at the clock. "Goodness! Daddy, I think I'll miss that surgery you said I could see today. I'm terribly sorry, Lisa and Seto, but Daddy promised I could see an open-heart surgery today, and I believe we need to get going. Please excuse me," he said. Hiro and Bastion left.

"What a kid," Seto said, blinking a few times in shock. "How did he get the accent?"

"Well, Hiro has a slight accent because part of his family is British. He and his wife Katai met at Oxford and stayed in the UK for a while before Bastion was born. Bastion was born there and started learning to talk there. So thanks to Hiro and his first year, Bastion has the accent. He's also a very bright little boy. He could be like Einstein."

"Yeah. I wonder what our kids will be like." Lisa smiled when he said this. She had worried about him wanting children.

"You want kids, then?"

"Um… Yeah, I do, but if you're not okay…."

"Oh, Seto, I'm thrilled, darling. I was worried you wouldn't." He laid his hand on hers when she said that.

"Of course I want us to have kids. Speaking of kids, who's next?"

"He's lovingly nicknamed Hurricane Jaden; Jayda's little boy."

Just about ten seconds after Lisa said this, a woman's voice yelped, "Jaden, honey, slow down and watch where you're going!" The door to the room opened, and in came a little boy with sparkling brown eyes and brown hair with a shock of red shaped like a hawk at the top.

"Hi, Lisa!" two-year-old Jaden Kiyo Yuki said happily, bounding into Lisa's arms.

"Hi, sweetie!"

"What's my name mean, Lisa?" This game had started one night when Lisa had been babysitting Jaden and she'd entertained him by finding what different names meant.

"God has heard a happy child in the snow," she answered.

"What's your name mean?"

"The angel of a village consecrated to God. Where's your mommy, sweetheart?" As if by magic, Jayda Yuki came jogging through the door, a little bit out of breath.

"S-sorry, Lisa," Jayda said, puffing. "Jaden got away from me. Honey, you don't run away from Mommy." She sat down in a chair next to Lisa and her little boy. "Jaden, say hello to Mr. Kaiba. He's going to marry Lisa."

Jaden got a funny look on his face, and said solemnly, "Seto Kaiba. You play Duel Monsters. Where Yugi?"

"Yugi's upstairs. Maybe you can meet him later," Seto said, shaking the little boy's hand. "It's nice to meet you, Jaden. Do you like Duel Monsters?"

"Yeah! Wanna _**duel**_!" he said happily, jumping and running around the room.

"He's very interested in Duel Monsters right now," Jayda explained wearily. "He's such a ball of energy, I wonder how he'll be able to focus long enough to learn to play the game."

"You'd be surprised, Dr. Yuki," Seto said. "I never thought Mokuba would pick up chess or Capsule Monsters, but he picked them both up and is very good at the latter game. Where does he go to preschool?"

"Pokey Oaks. It's that new preschool that somebody decided would be fun to name after the kindergarten in _Powerpuff Girls._ It's a pretty good school for Jaden because he gets so much activity. Do you like school, sweetie?" the doctor asked her son.

"Yeah! I drew Kuriboh!"

Not too long after that, Jayda took Jaden to preschool, promising he could visit the rest of the group later. Seto commented, "I wonder if our kids will be like him."

"If personality is hereditary," Lisa answered, "our kids might be pretty boring, honey." Seto laughed at this, and kissed Lisa softly.

"Let's go. Mokie's probably wondering where we are."

Y

The majority of the Jedi kids, Bakura and Joey's mother were all in Joey and Mokuba's room when Lisa and Seto entered the room. "Morning, guys," Lisa said.

She was on the verge of apologizing when Joey said, "Lisa… before you say anything, you don't have to apologize for yesterday. Dad did what he wanted to do. When he was tryin' to make me be like him, he said… well, I think you know what he thought about women." By this time, Lisa had sat down on a chair right next to Joey's bed and she nodded.

"Yeah. He made it pretty clear yesterday that women were at the bottom of the barrel, socially."

"Well," Joey said, "Dad said that you control people by force if they don't believe you're king of your domain. They're supposed to obey you no matter what. He put hurt on me when I disagreed with him in any way and he said a lot of times if you couldn't make someone obey you, that person deserved to die." Joey sighed. "I guess he realized he couldn't kill you, so he decided to put some real hurt on you, or try anyway."

Seto James Delaney/ Kaiba regarded Joseph Aaron Wheeler for a moment, then said, "Joey, we have a lot more in common than I thought. Gozaburo thought the same way. He couldn't totally break me, so… I just wish we didn't have so much in common."

"Yeah, me, too. Hey, Leese, can I give you a hug?" Lisa nodded, smiling a little bit. Joey was just able to move his arms so he could give the young doctor a very light hug.

"Hey guys, if everyone's okay, why don't we girls go to the coffee place and you guys stay in here and chat a bit?" Everybody agreed to that, and Lisa was grateful, as was Seto.

"So," Mai asked when the women were all seated in the coffee place with hot drinks, "what did you two end up doing last night?"

Lisa flushed. "Well, we gave each other permission to talk about it. Seto took me home, got us pizza for dinner, and got me into a bath. But that wasn't all; I made an idiot of myself."

The other teen girls looked at each other and then back at Lisa, realizing. "Did you guys..?" Teá asked. Lisa shook her head.

"I… wasn't thinking straight. He saved us from doing something we'd have regretted this morning."

Elizabeth smiled at this. "That really is sweet, Lisa. And you're a lucky girl. So when are you two..?" she began to ask, then stopped.

"We'll decide about that detail soon. Hey, Mai, are you okay?" Lisa asked, noticing the blonde girl's suddenly far away expression. "Mai?"

Mai's amethyst eyes, which had slipped out of focus, quickly came back into focus. "Sorry… I guess I wasn't paying attention. I didn't sleep very well last night." She was lying, and Lisa could tell easily. _Whatever's bothering her, she'll tell us eventually._

Meanwhile, back in the hospital room, Joey had used his controller to adjust his bed so he could sit up comfortably and talk. Mokuba, however, chose to sit safely in his big brother's arms.

"Was Lisa okay last night, big brother?" Mokuba asked, looking worried.

"Yeah, Mokie, she was… fine," Seto answered, suddenly feeling really nervous about how to bring up what was about to change.

Too late, Seto realized he should've guarded his thoughts more carefully. "Seto… did you guys… do something last night?" Mokuba, though still a small kid, was very much aware of certain things about the world, but Seto liked to think his brother didn't know as much as the little boy sometimes seemed to know.

The other boys in the room, Jedi and non-Jedi, could tell that Seto was suddenly uncomfortable. "Seto," Yugi asked, innocent (but not **that** innocent), "did you guys… you know…?"

They were all looking at the teen CEO expectantly, and everyone could see him flushing slightly. "We didn't. It wouldn't have been right. She was really shaken up last night."

Seto couldn't have imagined this scene a few short months ago, where he'd be sitting with members of "the dork patrol," with his little brother, talking to them all about the woman he had fallen in love with. While Yugi had hoped he'd be talking with Seto Kaiba as a friend, even he, the eternal optimist, would've had to admit that the scenario had seemed rather unlikely, even as late as after Duelist Kingdom. But with all the horrible things that had happened, some wonderful things had happened too. Lisa was one of those good things. Sure, she had been a little unusual and a little too mothering (Yugi was often the victim of this) sometimes, but she was kind and fun once you got to know her. Seto finally letting himself be happy was another good thing. Once you got past his guard, he was nice, as Mokuba had told the gang when Yugi had dueled the freaky clown thing masquerading as Seto.

"So, what are you going to do today, big brother?" Mokuba asked.

"Well, Lisa has to relax by order of Dr. Bailey, so I'm going to take her out today. One of her favorite movies is playing and I'm buying out a showing so we don't have to deal with the press. And I'm going to take her to a day spa for a professional massage. It's something she's always wanted. And we'll also go out to a nice dinner. I was thinking I'd take her to the Bolero."

"The Bolero?" Duke said in surprise. "That's a major couple's hot spot!"

"I know," Seto answered, "and it also has some of the best food in town. She's never been there; I checked."

"So, did anybody check out the football game last night?" Tristan asked, changing the subject to more manly stuff. They talked about sports, dueling and school until the girls returned.

Seto and Lisa said goodbye to Mokuba and their friends, and left for the day. "So what are you planning, honey?" Lisa asked.

"Well, I thought we'd go to the Angel Dreams Day Spa for lunch and a massage, and then we could go see _The Empire Strikes Back._ It's playing at a theater and I'll buy out a showing so we have some privacy. And then we'll go to dinner at the Bolero."

"The Bolero? Oh, my! Why all this?"

"Dr. Bailey made it very clear you need to relax today. What's wrong? Is this okay?" he asked, noticing how her expression had become worried.

"Yeah, I'm just a little worried… Did you sense Mai? Something seems wrong with her."

"Yeah… She's upset about something. I wonder what…?"

As promised, the couple went to the day spa where they enjoyed a long massage and a nice light lunch. Then they went to the movie theater where they saw Lisa's favorite of the original _Star Wars_ trilogy. "I haven't been able to do that yet," she whispered at the scene where Yoda lifts the X-Wing out of the swamp.

"Maybe someday," Seto whispered back, kissing her.

The couple went back to the mansion after the movie to change into some better clothes to go to the Bolero. Lisa had gone to what had been her bedroom to get some clothes to find they were gone, and headed back to Seto's bedroom. "Looking for something?" he asked. "Come into the closet."

He led her into the walk-in closet that connected their bedroom to the bathroom. "I'm sorry, I should've asked, Lisa. I had your stuff moved in here. Is this okay?" One side of the closet was full of her clothes.

"Oh, honey, it's perfect," she answered, hugging him. "Now, what should I wear?"

At seven PM, Seto and Lisa arrived at the Bolero. It had been a couple's hot spot for almost two decades, and served excellent dishes. "I've never been here before, either, Leese," Seto said when they were seated, "so I can't tell you what to order."

She nodded. "That's all right. Here's to first times," she said, raising her water glass. He raised his and they clinked their glasses. She was wearing her engagement ring on her finger, and Seto loved watching it sparkle on her slim, graceful finger, the diamonds reflecting the candlelight. They chatted about inconsequential matters throughout the dinner, had the Bolero's signature dessert, a chocolate cake with rum-flavored whipped cream, and then left.

On the way out to the limo, a plaque on the side of the Bolero caught Lisa's eye. "Seto, honey, look at this," she said, kneeling down to read it better.

Seto read out loud, "'Dedicated to the memory of David and Abigail Muto and Melissa 'Lissa' Tsubaki.' Lisa, weren't David and Abigail Yugi's parents?"

"Yeah, they were," she answered. "Melissa Tsubaki must've been the driver. But I wonder who she was..?" Lisa took three roses from the huge bouquet Seto had bought her that evening and laid them just below the plaque. The next day, the entire group would find out who Melissa Tsubaki was, and it would not be pleasant.

_Suspense, everyone… This was one of my shorter chapters. I'm putting my warning for the next chapter here, because this one's been pretty cuddly. There is going to be some rather intense content in the next chapter. I am finally telling Mai Deidre Valentine's story. I have a feeling that her story here will diverge from the manga (if the manga has delved into her past), but I am basing certain things on the way she's reacted to men who have threatened her in the past. The way she reacted to Panik in the extended version of the dub tells me something really bad happened to her in the past, so I am using that._

_Next time, Mai's sleep deprivation finally takes its toll on her and she reveals her past. Read and review, folks!_


	28. Bright Coyote or Mai's Story Pt I

Chapter XXIII Part I: Bright Coyote; or, Mai's Story

_Welcome back to "The Jedi League of Duelists." Thank you to my reviewers for the last two chapters, Invader101, Glimerofhope and syrusfanatic12. This chapter reveals Mai's past as I have imagined it. From what I understand, her parents treated her with indifference. But what if it was more than that? It's the way she reacts throughout the series to male figures that made me think along these lines. Her friends are about to find out about her past, and it's going to be a painful soul-bearing. I am posting parts I and II together. __**Warning:**__ Chapter 23 contains references to sexual abuse, emotional abuse, illicit affairs and binge drinking. I'd say this chapter has earned the T rating, but I don't think it strays into M territory._

_Disclaimer: Peach Wookiee owns nothing except Lisa, non-established characters, her own characters and the plot. She writes for her own enjoyment._

_**Author's notes, five years later: **__Other than some selective trimming and changing of the section breaks, this chapter remains the same._

On Wednesday morning, Lisa woke up feeling a great deal more relaxed. Seto had made yesterday afternoon so perfect, she was as relaxed as if she were on pain medication. Seto, evidently having been up for a while, kissed her softly on the lips and said, "Good morning, Leese. Feeling better?"

"Yeah, honey. Thanks for everything you did yesterday," she said with a calm smile on her face.

"Do you want to have breakfast in bed, or should we go down to the kitchen?"

"Don't you have school?" she asked.

"No. Mr. Darby said it was okay if I stayed with you. The press is going to surround the school, so it's easier if I stay away."

"What about the others?" Lisa asked.

"They can go if they want to, but Mr. Darby said that if the press is too much for them, they don't have to come back until everything cools down. It's disruptive to the school to have a lot of press there. I'll get some tutors so we stay caught up if we have to."

"That's good, honey," she said. "In that case, why don't we get up, get ourselves ready for the day and get to the hospital so we can spend some time with Mokuba?"

"All right then. Do you want to soak in the tub?"

"That'd be nice."

"I'll go get us some juice. Then you can have the bathroom first."

Y

The teen couple, after making themselves presentable, arrived at Domino Children's Hospital at 9:15, earlier than they'd been there in recent days. Seto put his arm around Lisa as soon as they were out of the limo, and the flash bulbs and questions began…

"_**Mr. Kaiba! What's the status of—**_?!"

"_**Dr. Hammond! What was that you did on Monday**_?!"

"_**Are you—**_?!" On and on it went, but the teen couple answered no questions.

"We'll have to deal with the press soon, Leese," Seto said to his fiancée when they were safely inside the building. "Are you okay?"

"If I'd had to deal with that yesterday, I would be on heavy meds today. Today, however, I'm feeling splendid," she answered as she pulled him into a kiss in a protected area. It wasn't protected enough however.

"Glad to see you're feeling better, Dr. Hammond," Dr. Bailey said wryly as Lisa abruptly broke the kiss and blushed.

"Hi, Dr. Bailey. Sorry."

"It's all right, Lisa, you're off-duty, and I wouldn't expect you not to be affectionate with your fiancé. So where are you two headed?"

"Up to Joey and Mokuba's room. They're probably wondering where we are. Is anyone else there?"

"Yeah," Miranda said as they walked. "Elizabeth and Serenity Wheeler and Mai Valentine didn't leave last night, so they're here. Your other friends left shortly after you did."

"Thanks, Miranda, and thanks for your help."

"No problem, Lisa. I'm really glad to see you're feeling better," she answered. Miranda headed off to her duties, and the couple got into the elevator. They rode silently up, and walked onto the third floor.

"Something's not right here," Lisa said softly, and Seto sensed it, too. It wasn't someone being harmed, but someone who had already been harmed. They headed down the hallway to Joey and Mokuba's room and entered.

"Good morning, guys," Lisa said.

"Hi, Lisa, Seto," Serenity greeted and her mother looked up, greeting the couple.

"Hi, big brother! Hi, big sister!" Mokuba said, holding up his arms for his hugs, which he got in short order.

"Hey, Leese, Seto," Joey added as he walked gingerly out of the bathroom. He gave Lisa a brotherly hug and Lisa saw he had a cast on. "Doctor Rhodes put my cast on this morning, and said I could go to the john since I haven't been out of bed for the last few days."

"Oh, so you're a big boy today," Seto said in his once-common creepy voice and laughed. Joey followed suit.

"Hey, it tells me I'm alive," he said. "Hold up; isn't Mai back yet, Ren? Lisa, she headed to the bathroom half an hour ago. She didn't sleep okay last night, and Mom told me she didn't sleep okay the night before. And it feels like somethin's wrong." Without a word, the teen doctor left the room and walked to the women's restroom.

When Lisa entered the restroom, she heard soft sobbing coming from one of the stalls. "Mai?" she called. "Are you all right?" Then she heard a sharp intake of breath.

"Oh, hi, Lisa," Mai answered, blowing her nose and coming out of the stall. "Sorry, I think I'm just being a bit emotional right now. I think it's PMS. I'm all right." Deceit was radiating from Mai in waves, and even if Lisa hadn't had Jedi powers, she could've easily figured out that the older girl was hiding something. What that something was, Lisa couldn't tell, but it seemed that it was something very deep.

At 11:00, Yugi, Teá, Tristan and Duke arrived. "Hey guys," Joey said. "I thought you were in school. And where's Bakura?"

"He decided to stay back at school. We wanted out, though," Yugi explained. "The press kept getting too close. Joss Wheadon created a diversion by dropping a stink bomb and smoke bomb near the press trucks so we could get away without being followed. Are you feeling better today, Lisa?" he asked, giving the girl a hug.

"Yeah, Yugi. Seto tired me out yesterday and so I slept really well for the first time in a few nights. Liz, what did you guys do last night?"

"Well, we watched _Shrek_ and had dinner. We got pizza, and Joey got KFC mashed potatoes and gravy because Doctor Rhodes said he can't have anything too spicy just yet or that he really has to chew," Elizabeth explained.

"Doctor Rhodes also said that my lips are too swelled up," Joey added, "and I had to have oatmeal for breakfast, Leese. I really don't like the stuff, even the strawberry-flavored stuff!"

"You'll be able to eat better soon, Joey," Lisa soothed. "So besides the stink and smoke attack, what happened at school today?"

Yugi, Tristan and Duke told what happened in their classes, and then, Teá innocently talked about her Advanced Placement World Literature class and what they were studying, little knowing that what she would tell would cause any sort of trouble.

"We're currently reading this story called _The Rape of the Lock_. 'Rape' means kidnapping in this story. What happens is that a guy cut a girl's hair and it causes a huge family feud. I think it's kind of silly, myself."

At the word "rape," Mai visibly stiffened. It was a slight change in her demeanor, but enough that Lisa caught it. _What in the world…?_ This caused Lisa to raise Mokuba's mental shields reflexively. He looked at Lisa, realizing he couldn't sense anyone. And then, a little girl down the hall whose arm had been broken earlier that morning when she jumped off the top of her brother's bunk bed started screaming, "_**It hurts! It hurts!**_" And this was enough for the memory Mai Deirdre Valentine had been trying to hide to break free.

"_**Nooooooooooo**_!" she screeched and then began screaming incoherently as the memory flooded to the surface of her mind in a flashback. Lisa let go of Mokuba's mind, fast, and the little boy kept his own shields up. Everyone else raised their mental shields and Lisa tried to calm Mai down.

"Mai? _**Mai**_! Snap out of it!" Lisa shouted. But Mai was back during what had happened, and couldn't hear her friends or even hear their mental shouting. So Lisa decided to use something to calm the other girl down. Getting close enough to Mai so she could catch her, Lisa raised her right hand and shouted, "_**Jedi Knockout**_!" As if hit by a tranquilizer dart, Mai Valentine's eyes rolled into the back of her head and she fell unconscious. Lisa caught her and laid the girl down on a sleep lounger, then checked her pulse. "Good, she's out and will be for a while," she reported to her friends. Nurse George O'Malley came running to the door when he heard the screaming. His eyes took in the scene of the young doctor, kneeling and taking the pulse of the stunningly pretty model.

"Lisa?" he asked, the question all over his face.

"George," she answered calmly, standing up, "I need you to get another bed in here and a pair of hospital issue pajamas. And I need you to alert the rape counselor on call. When this girl wakes up, she's going to need help." George nodded and headed off.

For a long moment, no one in the room spoke. And then Joey forced himself into a sitting position. "Her dad… her own dad," he said in an agonized whisper.

Serenity had, though her sensitivity wasn't horribly strong yet, caught what had gone through Mai's mind before she'd been able to raise her shields. "She was… hurt… by her dad."

"Does her mom know?" Teá asked, eyes burning with both pain and fury.

"I don't know," Lisa said. "She told me her parents were both dead. I should've been able to see something like this, but she was playing her cards too close to the vest."

"So she can't even get justice," Tristan said softly.

"No," Lisa answered sadly.

Mokuba had heard Lisa say "rape counselor" and knew what she'd kept from him. "I know what it means," he said softly, which caused his big brother and soon-to-be big sister to turn. "I know what… _he_ did to you, big brother, and at the orphanage, someone killed herself because it happened to her. Her name was Tia and she was fourteen when she killed herself in the girls' bathroom. She had a little sister who was a little younger than I am now. Her name was Megumi and it was their stepfather that did it. Their mama didn't believe them that he was hurting them and then he killed Tia and Megumi's mama and he got sent to jail. Megumi got adopted a few weeks after Tia died, but she wasn't happy." Mokuba was fighting tears and Seto hugged his brother close, wishing the little boy didn't know what he knew.

"Leese," Joey asked, his eyes pleading, "what's gonna happen?"

"She's going to sleep for a while. When George comes back with the extra bed and pajamas, I'm going to have her in here. When we've got an IV set up, I'm also going to give her a tranquilizer that should let her stay out longer without dreaming. The reason it was so easy for the memory to surface was that she was exhausted. It would've surfaced eventually, but I'll bet she's fought it off before."

"I think she was fighting it off at Duelist Kingdom," Yugi said softly. "She was really scared after what happened with Panik. He was what they call an Eliminator, and the way he worked, Lisa, was to attack from the shadows and use fire to scare his opponents into submission. He thought he had me, but he didn't."

Lisa remembered what Mai had said when Joey was still unconscious. "Was that the guy who was a lot bigger than Joey?"

"Yeah," Yugi answered. "She'd gone for a walk and he forced her into a duel. I took care of him, though. I beat him and then he went nuts and turned on the pyrotechnics. And… he kinda became a crispy critter."

"Somehow, I don't think I want to know. Was there anything else about Duelist Kingdom I should know about or anything else you guys know?"

Seto spoke up. "Lisa, I do research on the top duelists in case I ever have to duel them… guys, don't look so surprised." For everyone in the room looked at the teen CEO a little bit shocked at this. "Anyway, I found out that Mai's parents died in a murder/suicide. Her father killed her mother and killed himself, but no one is sure why. Mai was at a lesson outside of the house when it happened, and that's how she ended up alone so young. Maybe her mom found out what he did and confronted him."

"We'll find out soon enough, Seto," Lisa answered. George arrived with the bed, pajamas and papers so Lisa could get Mai officially admitted to Domino Children's as a patient. Lisa quickly got Mai onto the bed and drew the curtains so there was privacy. Lisa undressed and got Mai's form into the very modest purple cotton pajamas. Once out of the stilettos, Mai was just a little taller than the young doctor. Lisa got her covered with a warm blanket and then put the IV into Mai's right arm and added a very light sedative. "You'll be all right, Mai. And you'll tell us when you're able to." She pushed a lock of Mai's lovely golden hair out of her face and sighed. This was going to be bad. She pulled the curtains away and moved away. "She'll be asleep for a while, guys. We'll just have to wait."

"Can I sit with her?" Joey asked.

"Maybe a little bit later. She's going to be out for quite a while, Joey, between the Jedi Knockout and the tranquilizer."

"What, exactly, is Jedi Knockout?" Duke asked. "Does it hurt?"

"No, Duke. It's like another thing I know called Jedi Calm. What I do is tell the person to calm down and either touch him or her on the shoulder or send a strong mental suggestion. It usually works. I used that on Seto first. But Jedi Knockout acts like a tranquilizer and is almost instant. In that state, there are no dreams. You said she hasn't slept well the last few nights, right, Serenity, Liz?" Mother and daughter nodded. "I'd have to wonder if she's been using some sort of sedative to sleep."

"She has," Teá answered. "I think she used them the night we camped out together at Duelist Kingdom. She slept through Seto landing with his helicopter, and even Joey woke up when he landed. And before we all went to sleep after what happened with Panik, I did see her taking two pills, but she said she had a headache, so I thought they were aspirin or something."

Lisa considered this. "I'll ask her about it when she wakes up, all right?" Everyone nodded. And then she walked out of the room. She'd kept her thoughts shielded from everyone in the group, or so she thought. But her love had sensed something that told him to follow her. Seto gave his love a five-minute head start and then followed her. He found her about one hundred yards away from the room in a deserted corridor, sitting on a double chair. She had her eyes covered. Was she crying?

He quickened his pace and sat next to her. She was softly crying. "Leese, is this why you left?" he asked. "What's wrong, sweetheart?"

She looked up at him, tears in her beautiful blue eyes. "What right did I have to have such a happy childhood? You, Mai, Joey, Mokuba, Serenity, Yugi. You all had really bad things happen. And I've had so many good things. Why do I get that and why did you guys get such pain?"

"Shhh," Seto said, laying his fingers on her lips to silence her and pulling her into a hug. "Your mom warned me you might get like this if something happened. She told me to tell you this; don't blame yourself or feel guilty for what you have or what you couldn't change. You can't change what happened to Mai or any of us, but I know you've made my life better and you helped me to be friends with them. Mai will survive and be okay because we're all here for her. Darn…."

"What is it?" she asked, wiping her eyes and noticing the wry smile gracing her fiancé's handsome visage.

"I'm beginning to sound like Teá. I guess everyone is rubbing off on me."

"I'm glad," she answered, smiling, but then sobering. "I just hope we can help Mai when she wakes up." Seto put his arm around her and together they walked back to the hospital room.

_So something really bad happened to Mai when she was younger… I didn't want to break up this chapter, but it was really long. Therefore, I'll be releasing the two parts of this chapter together. Read and review, everyone!_


	29. Bright Coyote or Mai's Story Pt II

Chapter XXIII Part II: Bright Coyote; or Mai's Story

_Hi, again, everyone. I should give fair warning before you read, so you can avoid this if you really want to. We're dealing with emotional trauma, sexual abuse, illicit affairs and binge drinking. This also has mild language. I think this chapter is worthy of the T rating…_

_**Author's note, some time later: **__I broke up at least one paragraph and divided sections that were dreams and different points of view. I do hope this isn't too confusing._

Y

_Twelve-year-old Mai was running through her house as fast as she possibly could. This time, she'd gotten away, but her father was close behind her, and if he caught her, he'd force her to... He didn't care that she didn't want to; all he cared about was his need. She ran down the hall where she knew there was a stairwell (at least in the real world) which led out of the house. But in this dream… __OH NO! __Mai was trapped and the only escape routes were…_

_"Dead end, Mai… You've escaped me for the last time," her father said, his brown eyes glistening with animal lust and evil. "You know what I want," he said as he undid the belt of his smoking jacket._

_"_**No**_!" Mai screamed, knowing in her dreams as she'd known in real life that there was nothing she could do to stop what was about to happen… _No way out_…__ She'd wished at this point in her life that someone would come and intervene. But no one had and no one would…_

_"Leave her alone." The door on Mai's right opened, and a young boy's voice (with a Brooklyn accent, Mai noted) spoke out._

_"What?!" her father exclaimed._

_"I said, leave her alone. I won't let you hurt her no more," the small figure said, emerging from the room's shadows. A tow-headed nine-year-old boy with honey-brown eyes placed himself between the twelve-year-old girl and her predator father. "Mai won't get hurt by you or anybody, 'cause I won't let it happen."_

_"Joey, _**run**_!" Mai yelled._

_"I'm not leavin' you, Mai. Ever," Joey said with a determined look in his eyes. And then he helped Mai to her feet and they grew to their present-day forms. He kept his hand in hers, reassuring Mai that he would keep her safe._

_"You're dead," Joey said. "You've been dead since Mai was thirteen. You were a rotten, no-good jerk who probably used women because you were sick. You didn't care about them and you obviously didn't care about Mai. You had money, power and lived in high society, but you were lower than the guy who scrubs out the pans in the kitchens. You're a pedophile and you didn't give a crap about anyone other than yourself. Mai's the most amazing girl I've ever met and you weren't worthy to be her father. I'm going to do whatever it takes to be worthy to be her guy. So get outta her head and get outta her life!"_

_The man's specter stared at his daughter. "You can't be rid of me, Mai. I was the only thing that made you worth anything!"_

_Mai had fought this part of her dream for quite some time. But with Joey at her side, she was able to do what she had never, even in her dreams, been able to do. "No, Daddy, I'm worth something in spite of you. I'm done thinking I was at your mercy. You're out of here… forever!"_

_With an incoherent scream, Mai's father vanished away. "You want to get out of here?" Joey asked. Mai nodded._

_"How did you get in here?" she asked._

_"Why don't we get outta here first?" he asked. The stairway was back where it should've been, and hand in hand, they exited the house into a blinding light._

Y

Mai could feel her hand clasped in Joey's larger one as she slowly woke up. She opened her eyes to see him sitting next to her, looking at her in concern with tears in his eyes.

"J-Joey? I wasn't dreaming, was I?" He shook his head.

"Well, you were but you weren't, Mai. You were havin' a nightmare and… well… Lisa helped me go in and fight it with you. So it was your dream, but you were able to control it. I couldn't just let you face it alone."

Mai moved her head a bit to see the teen doctor. "Lisa?"

"It's true," Lisa said, taking the older girl's wrist and checking her pulse. "I helped Joey form a bridge into your mind so he could help you fight off the nightmare. You were under the effects of Jedi Knockout for three hours and under the effects of a tranquilizer for a little over four hours. You were pretty upset."

"Everyone knows, don't they?" the model asked the doctor and the teen boy. They nodded.

"You don't have to tell us anything if you don't want to, Mai, but if you do, everyone else is waiting. No one in the group will force you to talk, though I will have you talk to the rape counselor when you're up to it. She'll want to meet you, but she won't have you talk about it until later."

Mai took a deep breath. "I want to tell everybody… everything. But Joey… can you...?"

"I'll stay here if you need me, babe," he answered, then blushed, realizing he'd used a pet name to address her. Mai, in response, squeezed his hand.

Lisa smiled inwardly at this turn of events, but outwardly managed to remain serious. "Listen, Mai, if it's all right with you, I would like to bring the counselor in to meet with you. Do you want her to listen when you talk to the gang?"

Mai nodded. "That way, I'll only have to say it once. I know she's going to tell me what you're all going to tell me… that it wasn't my fault. I know intellectually that it wasn't, but when your parents didn't really love you in the first place, you always wonder." Joey squeezed her hand, knowing in some ways where she was coming from.

Lisa walked out from behind the curtains surrounding Mai's bed and headed outside of the room. Everyone was sitting in chairs out in the hall. "Is she awake?" Teá asked, eyes mirroring the concern of everyone else in the group.

"Yeah, she's awake, and she wants to tell you guys all at once. I've just got to get the counselor in there so she can listen to what Mai has to say as well. I'll let you in there in a second."

Back in the room, Joey kept holding Mai's hand. _Don't hold back anything,_ he sent, _don't do what I did._

_I'll tell all I can,_ she answered. _I'm sorry, Joey._

_Sorry for what?_

_I'm damaged goods,_ she answered.

_No, you're not, _he sent back, the pain in his eyes visible. _It wasn't your fault, anymore than it was my fault that my dad beat up on me. That doesn't make us damaged goods. Don't let that thing win._ Mai nodded, thinking deep in her mind that she should keep replaying what Joey said until she herself believed it.

Lisa returned finally with a young-looking African-American woman, dressed in a very nice Juicy Couture pink track suit. "Mai, this is Zelda Goodwin. Zelda, this is Mai Valentine."

"Hello, Mai," Zelda said, shaking the girl's hand. "I'm one of the rape counselors here at Domino Children's. Lisa said you wanted to tell all your friends what happened. Are you sure about that?"

Mai nodded. "It'll be easier if I just tell everybody at once, Zelda, then I can work with you and not have to keep repeating it to them."

"All right, then. I can just stand outside and listen or find a corner and sit while you talk, all right?"

"Okay. Lisa, could you bring them in?" Lisa nodded, and again, Joey squeezed Mai's slim hand in his broader one. Joey knew all he could do at this point was reassure the woman he loved and maybe give her the strength she needed to fight and win. Zelda sat herself in a comfortable chair with a notepad so she could remember what Mai said later.

Lisa stepped outside and within minutes, the rest of the gang entered the room and sat or laid down. "You guys know now," Mai said. Everyone nodded, and so she continued, "I've never told anyone what happened until now. And now you'll all know why." She paused, struggling for control.

"Why lettin' someone past your defenses is hard?" Joey asked. Mai nodded.

"It's tough when your parents didn't love you. It's even worse when you know you didn't do anything except be born and yet somehow everything is your fault…" And Mai began her tale….

Y

My full name is Mai Deirdre Valentine. My first name was taken from the Navaho Indian tribe and to the Navahos, my name means "coyote," an animal that is alone. My middle name, Deirdre, means "sorrowful" or "wanderer." My mother and father named me thus because they hated me. One day, my mother told me to look up my first and middle name because she said the Navaho meaning of my first name and the meaning of my second name was what she wanted for me.

I was born here in Domino to Hillary and Bennett Valentine. My mom only had me to make her and my father's company look good. She didn't want to have a baby because it would mess up her figure and her modeling career, but did it so Valentine, Inc. would have better profits. My father knew that a company with a family image did well, so I guess he convinced my mother to get pregnant. As soon as she could, though, my mother handed me off to nannies, and that was when I was two weeks old. Mom got to go to day spas, gyms and beauty shops, and I was with nannies.

The nannies I had never lasted long, though. Some only lasted a couple of weeks, while others lasted a few months. I didn't find out until I was seven why they kept leaving. Most of them were young girls, as young as Teá, in many cases. I also had tutors from the time I was three, but they didn't change like the nannies did.

One nanny I remember left when I was about six. I called her Nanny Lissa, but her name was Melissa Tsubaki. She left because she was pregnant with a baby who would've been my half-brother or sister if she hadn't died in a car crash that killed two other people. I didn't find out until later that she'd been underage and been having an affair with my father. She found out she was pregnant a week after she turned eighteen. She had friends at a sorority and got drunk with them. Then she tried to drive home to talk to her parents, but crashed into two innocent people instead.

Y

Everyone abruptly sensed the pain coming from Yugi. Teá, sitting next to him, stared. "Yugi, what..?"

"Your nanny was Melissa Tsubaki?" he asked Mai.

"Yeah. Oh, my gosh, it was your parents she hit! Oh, Yugi…"

Yugi, tears in his amethyst eyes, said, "Grandpa told me that Melissa's parents said she was sad about something, but never really got a chance to tell them. I think he knew after a while, but didn't want to tell me. I know now… And don't think it's your fault, Mai, 'cause it's not. You didn't hurt her; your dad did. And just because you were there doesn't mean he wouldn't have done what he did." Mai considered this and managed to continue her tale.

Y

After Nanny Lissa came Nanny Beth. She was 22 and was only my nanny for three weeks when she quit because my father kept hitting on her. Then my parents hired Nanny Leia. She was 64 and was my nanny for two months when she died in her sleep because of a heart attack. And then my parents hired Nanny Kelly. She was really nice and took good care of me. She had red hair, green eyes and freckles and she was about nineteen. She read me stories, helped me with my studies and made sure I took good long naps. I found out one day why my naps were good for her… and my father.

I woke up from my nap because there were people shouting. I followed the sound to my father's bedroom and I could tell it was my parents shouting. I got closer, and the door was open. When I got in the bedroom, I saw my mom dressed to the nines and my dad in his bathrobe. Nanny Kelly was in my dad's bed, covered up and her clothes were on the floor. She gasped, seeing me. My parents took one look at me when they realized I was there, and kept on shouting. I turned and ran out of the room and to the other end of the house so I didn't have to hear any more shouting. Nanny Kelly was gone the next day.

After Nanny Kelly left, I ended up just having tutors. I studied seven hours a day with breaks and I was at high school level work by my tenth birthday. I was at the equivalent of junior year high school work by the time I was twelve. My father, after the incident with Nanny Kelly, began taking lots of business trips. My mother didn't care than her husband was with other women, but she cared that it was possible for people to find out. As long as he kept it out of the house, my father got what he wanted. Even though I was still young when Nanny Kelly left, the tutors allowed my mother to keep away from me. She kept making her trips to day spas and other places to keep up her looks. My mom had been a model before she married my dad, and she was really vain.

Mom started acting really crazy, especially after I knew about my father's indiscretions. She started making comments about my looks, asking where I'd gotten the idea that I could upstage her. She said that even if I was a rocket scientist, I'd never be taken seriously because I was pretty. I began to realize that I couldn't depend on my mother or my father. I became afraid of my mother, but I wasn't afraid of my father until one day when he hadn't been on a business trip for a while.

I was twelve years old on that day. It was a Sunday and I wasn't being tutored, so Mom went to a beauty shop to get her nails done. Dad said he'd take me shopping for a new outfit. He insisted also that I get a new bra and underwear, so I did. When we got home, he told me to change into all of the new stuff so he could see how beautiful I looked. I didn't think anything of it at first, but I wish I had. But maybe it wouldn't have mattered. He told me to come to his room after I changed, and when I did, he was sitting on his bed in his long silk robe. He told me to turn around in my outfit, and then after he'd gotten a look at me, he told me to undress to my bra and panties so he could see how I looked in those. I didn't want to and he didn't like that I was balking.

He grabbed my wrist and I tried to break free, but he was too strong. "You're such a pretty girl, Mai and since I pay for your outfits, I have right to see you however I want," he told me. He kept his grip on me while I took my pants off, and then he pulled my top off. And then he forced me to kiss him, but not like a father kisses a daughter. I started to struggle, but it didn't matter. He hit me hard and I was knocked silly. When I came to, he was….

Y

Mai couldn't talk because she was suddenly choked by sobs. Joey slowly pulled her into a hug and she hugged back tightly, forgetting that Joey was recovering from five broken ribs. But the teen boy didn't let Mai know that it hurt. Instead he held her, making soothing noises and rubbing her back like she was a frightened child.

After a few minutes, Mai drew a very shuddery breath and continued, "He didn't stop for almost an hour. I kept trying to fight him and begging him to stop, but it didn't matter. He was so much stronger than me. And my mom came home two hours after that. I told her what happened."

"What did she do?" Joey asked softly.

"She didn't care. Her exact words were, 'Oh. So you finally got what you deserved, you little slut.'" Mai had briefly had control of her emotions, but again the tears came and Joey kept her close.

"You didn't deserve that, Mai, and you are definitely not what she called you," the blonde boy said clearly. She stayed relaxed in his hug for a minute more, and then went back to just holding his hand. She continued her tale….

Y

After it happened, I was in a daze. Part of me wanted to die and part of me wasn't sure what I'd do if he came after me again. But I realized ending my life would play right into my parents' hands. If I killed myself, they'd have found a way to cover it up, either by planting drug paraphernalia in my room or making it look like I was a bad or mixed up kid because I fell in with the wrong crowd. Even though I never had any friends, they would've figured a way to manufacture some kids from "the wrong crowd." They had the money and power to do it.

I then decided that I would find a way out of that house forever. I sped up in my coursework and got my GED by my thirteenth birthday and not too long after that, my parents died. Mom and Dad were home together and I had gone to an etiquette lesson. I don't know, but somehow, I think my parents decided to have one last fight. It might've been that Mom was having an affair and what was good for the gander obviously wasn't okay for the goose. But there was no evidence of that and all I know is that my dad killed my mom and then turned the gun on himself.

So I was thirteen and alone and in charge of a company I didn't want. I didn't want to go into foster care, so I got myself emancipated. When I was fourteen, I sold both the house and the company for quite a bit. Those things meant nothing to me. And then I got the job on the cruise line. Since I looked older, no one cared that I was four years too young. Men hit on me, but I wouldn't let them get close. And then I learned about Duel Monsters. I could duel well, and no one mistook me for just a pretty blonde after I took them down a few pegs. And the Harpy's Ladies… I really liked them a lot because I could see them protecting me and clawing the eyes out of anyone who tried to hurt me. But they weren't real, so I was still alone. I'm still a coyote, and…

Y

"I'm so screwed up," Mai concluded as Joey held her close.

"You don't have to be a coyote anymore," he said softly, looking deep into her eyes. "Does your name have other meanings?"

"I don't know," Mai answered, looking sad. Then Lisa abruptly smiled.

"I have a baby name book with me… I started looking at these things with Jaden Yuki, Jayda's little boy, and found out name meanings." She pulled out the book from her purse and thumbed through it for a moment. "Hmm… Valentine means 'strong' or 'healthy.' And Mai means 'brightness' in Japanese, and 'flower' in Vietnamese. Deirdre does mean 'sorrowful' and 'wanderer,' but being a wanderer doesn't have to be a bad thing. Joey, what do you think of Mai's full name?"

Joey regarded the beautiful woman he had in his arms at that very moment. "Well, I think you're a strong, healthy, bright wandering flower that makes people happy. I know you make me happy," he said.

"I glare sometimes, though, don't I?" she asked with a shaky smile.

"I wouldn't have you any other way," he said smiling, but winced, turning very pale. Then Mai remembered.

"Joey, I shouldn't have hugged you so hard. I hurt you, didn't I?"

"I'm all right," he said, trying to act macho, but quickly finding he couldn't hold the pain back any longer.

"Joey, let's get you back to bed," Lisa ordered, helping the teen boy stand. She knew he didn't want to leave his girlfriend's side, but if he didn't get back to bed, Joseph Aaron Wheeler risked impeding his recovery. Mai knew that too.

"Joey, do what she says. Yugi…."

The small King of Games looked at his friend and walked over to her bed. "Mai, you're my friend. And what I found out doesn't change that. I…" Yugi struggled for a minute, tearing up, and managed to continue, "I never knew much about Lissa, but I found out today that she was a nanny to a really nice girl who knew how to help her friends." He couldn't say more and Mai enfolded him in her arms in a sisterly hug.

"Thanks, Yugi," she said softly, and then yawned. Despite having had a few hours of uninterrupted sleep, Mai's exhaustion was taking her down. "Excuse me," she said groggily.

"Mai," Lisa asked, "I gave you a sedative earlier, and I need to know now what you've been on." Mai told her. "Okay, then, if you're okay with this, I'm going to give you a mild sedative. It's a little stronger than what I gave you this morning after I knocked you out." Mai nodded, and Lisa got a syringe loaded with the sedative. She injected the syringe into Mai's IV, and the effects were almost instant. Mai was soon fast asleep.

"My guess is that she's going to be out for a while," Lisa said gently. "She's exhausted. Joey, are you okay?"

He'd regained some color as he lay in the bed, but he still looked a little pale. "Yeah, just kinda winded, Leese. And a little hungry."

On cue, a pretty redheaded nurse named Jodie brought in two trays of chicken soup for the boys. "Thanks, Jodie," Lisa said.

"No problem, Dr. Hammond," she said, and left the room. It was fairly early in the evening, so Joey and Mokuba had eaten and were both falling asleep by 7:30. Yugi, Teá, Tristan and Duke elected to head home, so as soon as they were done getting the boys to sleep, Lisa, Seto, Elizabeth and Serenity were alone.

"I think I'll stay with the kids tonight. Serenity, I think you should go home with Seto and Lisa," Elizabeth said.

"But Mom…"

"You need your rest, honey," Elizabeth said in a voice that broached no argument.

"Your mom is right, Serenity," Lisa added. "Besides, I think Dr. Misawa will want to have a look at your eyes and it won't help him if they're bloodshot. So come home with us." Serenity nodded.

"Elizabeth," Seto said, "you're going to need some dinner. Is there anything you'd like to have brought in? When you decide, tell Roland and he can go pick it up for you." Roland was standing outside the door with Bryce, and stuck his head in the room, indicating he'd heard his boss.

And within a few minutes, the three teens were speeding away from the hospital. Meanwhile, at Yugi's house, the amethyst-eyed teen boy was sitting down to dinner with his grandfather.

"Yugi," Solomon Muto asked, "is everything all right, my boy? You've been awfully quiet since you got home."

"Grandpa, I found about Melissa Tsubaki today," the boy answered as he took a bite of his grandfather's really yummy rice balls.

"Yugi?" Solomon asked, eyes becoming sad as he remembered the parents of the teenage girl who'd accidentally killed his son and daughter-in-law.

"She was Mai Valentine's nanny and she was pregnant with Mai's half-brother or sister. Mai's dad was evil, Grandpa." And so Yugi told his grandfather what he'd learned.

_Finally, chapter 23 is done! The next chapter will be a bit more light-hearted, I promise! Serenity goes home with the young couple and spends the next day with Lisa!_

_Read and review, folks! Thanks!_


	30. Serendipity

Chapter XXIV: Seren-dip-ity

_Greetings again, loyal Yu-Gi-Oh fans and Jedi League readers! Sorry for the wait, but this chapter is the first in the relaunch that hadn't already been typed. Well, this has been a rough ride, so far, and yes, I know I'm likely messing with canon. That's why it's called fan fiction; we get to mess around a bit. And to begin with, my story's an alternate timeline. I'm not done with Mai's story yet, because there are things she doesn't know about. Sadly, what happened to Mai is something that happens to kids in real life. One case is too many, and where I live, I've heard of at least two. If you were infuriated and nauseated by this, you weren't the only one. I get angry every time I hear about abuse cases, and I have some ideas what I'd do to those monster abusers._

_Thanks to my reviewers again! While I'd continue on with this story anyway, you make it a lot more fun to continue! Well, I hope this chapter is a little bit more fun than the last chapters. I've had death, emotional upset and sexual abuse, so maybe it's time to have a little levity…_

_**Disclaimer**__: Peach Wookiee doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh. She's worked for and shopped at Nordstrom and shops at Lush, but she doesn't own either company. She also doesn't own Applebee's; she just eats there. __**Further notes a few years later: **__I cut a little from the AN._

For the first time in a few nights, Serenity Jayne Wheeler was not going to sleep at Domino Children's Hospital. Tonight she would be sleeping at the Kaiba Mansion and hopefully would be able to sleep soundly. Her mother, brother and her brother's girlfriend were safe, so the fourteen-year-old girl could fully relax. She followed Seto Kaiba and Lisa Hammond out to the limousine, hopping in. Until this point in her life, she'd only dreamed of riding in limos…or having super powers, like her brother and his friends had.

_This is pretty cool,_ she thought, _and I guess I can enjoy it since Joey's going to be okay._

"Serenity?" Lisa's warm voice broke into her thoughts. "I was wondering… what would you like for dinner? Seto and I can pick up anything you like." The fourteen-year-old girl looked at the young couple, a little bit surprised.

"Um… are you sure? I mean," she stammered.

"Serenity, you're our guest. We're fine with what you want for dinner," Seto added. "Pick anything you like," he said, handing her a few take-out menus that they had in the limo.

Serenity considered the choices in front of her. "Um… I think I'd like Applebee's, if that's all right." She made her choice and then Seto and Lisa picked what they wanted. Seto called in the order, and then the three kids picked it up. They arrived at the mansion and headed to Seto's media room. The place had a huge television, the best cable TV package and a lot of DVDs.

"Serenity, would you like to pick a movie for us to watch?" Lisa asked, setting her dinner down.

"Um, could we just watch TV? I don't know if I want to get into a movie right now," Serenity answered shyly. They were each sitting on the floor at a low coffee table with their dinners. All three of them had gotten bacon cheeseburgers and fries and each had a can of soda.

"That's fine, Serenity, whatever you'd like," Seto answered casually. They turned on the TV to a syndicated sitcom and relaxed for a bit. Seto reflected that months ago, there was no way he would've been eating what he considered junk food, eating it in front of the TV or eating it away from the office. _I also wouldn't have been this nice to a guest in my home,_ he silently added, _much less Joey's little sister._

Lisa, for her part, reflected about Seto what he was thinking, remembering how she'd discovered he stayed in his office long hours, barely eating. _He's better than he used to be,_ she thought with a hidden smile. Seto reached over and gently touched her hand, as he had sensed her thoughts.

Serenity, meanwhile, not reading the couple's thoughts, relaxed in the feeling of warmth from them both. She may have been away from her mother, but she felt strangely safe with Seto and Lisa. _It's really hard to believe that Seto admitted to being so mean. He's been so nice to Mom and me. And Lisa… it's like she's a good friend already. _Serenity smiled a little bit at this, then asked, "Do you two eat in here often? It's a really nice room."

"Well," Seto admitted, "usually we just have snacks in here, but Lisa has been convincing me of the need to use this room, so we've had dinner in here some nights. Mokuba's really liked watching _Home Improvement_ reruns in here." The young man took a bite of his burger and asked, "Serenity, Joey told us you're one of the top students at North Haverbrook Junior High, is that right?"

Serenity blushed a little bit. "Well, I did get a 4.0 last semester, but it's nothing special."

Lisa smiled and said, "Yes, it is, Serenity. Don't sell yourself short. Joey tells me you work hard for your grades. Speaking of school, what's your favorite subject?" Something told Lisa and Seto that lunch wouldn't be in that list.

Serenity thought a minute. "Well, I really don't have a favorite class. I like all of my classes, really, and the teachers say that's good, but they want to see me pick a career."

The couple exchanged glances, and Seto responded, "You have plenty of time to decide that. Don't let someone force you into something you're not ready to decide yet."

The young girl smiled at this. "I guess waiting would be a good thing. So Lisa, where are you from?" And the three teens talked about their lives and nothing in particular. Finally, it was time for the kids to go to bed.

Lisa walked Serenity to her guest room. "Serenity, will you be okay in there by yourself?" the young doctor asked, a little bit concerned.

"I'll be all right. I can find my way around since my mom and I were here. As long as nothing got moved, I can find my way if I get up at night. My night vision isn't that great but I can find my way around." She gave a small smile.

"Well, Seto and I will be just down the hall. Call us if you need anything," Lisa said.

"Are you guys in the same room?" the young girl asked curiously.

Lisa nodded. "I've had nightmares, so it's just made more sense for me to sleep in the same room so he doesn't have to run down the hall if I wake up screaming." She blushed at this admission, a little embarrassed. "Do you have everything you need?"

"Yeah," Serenity answered, smiling. "What will we do tomorrow?"

"I was thinking we might go do some shopping and have a little fun. You haven't been back here in a long time, have you?" The younger girl shook her head. "Well," Lisa continued, "I think I'll show you around the shops. Does that sound okay?" Serenity nodded.

"That'll be fun, Lisa. Good night."

"Good night, Serenity."

While Serenity got her pajamas on and got into bed, Lisa wandered down to her and Seto's bedroom. He was already in his pajamas (burgundy silk) and in bed reading. "Is she all settled in?" he asked. She nodded, and headed into the closet to get her pajamas on.

"I thought we'd go shopping tomorrow. There are a few shops I think we could check out for fun."

"Why don't you girls get some things? I was thinking we might go somewhere really nice for dinner tomorrow night. You could use a nice dress and I'll bet Serenity could use some nice stuff too." Lisa returned to the bedroom, now dressed in a blue short sleeved sleep shirt with kitty cats on it. "Oh!" Seto said, taking something off of the nightstand, "Lisa, I got you something." He held out an envelope to her. She got into bed and opened it.

"Seto?! Is this—?" she asked, clearly startled. In her hand was a platinum-level credit card.

"Yeah, it's a credit card, and it's a joint card. You're on my account, and I'll pay the bill."

"Seto…" Lisa was rather shocked at this development. "But why?"

"You're going to be my wife, and I want you to have everything. Besides, I know what you make and you wouldn't be comfortable blowing your wad on expensive clothes," he added with a wicked smile. "Babe, I know you too well." Lisa blushed.

"So what would you like me to get? And what about Serenity?"

"Get some nice semi-formal dresses. I was thinking of taking you to one of the really nice restaurants where there's dancing."

"Uh, Seto? I don't know how to dance," she blushed.

"That's all right. It won't matter, babe. Trust me." The young man kissed his fiancée and they laid down and fell asleep.

At two AM, Serenity woke to a sense of unease, and then heard Lisa screaming. She jumped out of bed, clad in her pink microfiber pajamas, and moved to her bedroom door. She would've run down the hall to the other bedroom, but then remembered she had the power now to check without doing that. She took a deep breath and reached out to sense the young couple's minds. _I need a mental snapshot._ She called up the image of Seto flying her and her mother from North Haverbrook to Domino and the image of Lisa checking her brother as he improved. The young girl focused on them and read their emotions. Lisa had had a bad nightmare, she discovered, and it had seemed very real, but Seto, worried, was bringing his love back to reality, that she was safe and everything would be okay.

_Serenity?_ Seto sent, startling the young girl.

_Yeah, Seto?_

_She'll be okay. You need to get back to sleep._

_Let me know if I can help,_ she answered.

_It'll be all right, _he sent. _Now go back to bed._ Serenity, recognizing the big brother tone in Seto's mental voice, obeyed the order. She surprised herself by falling asleep almost immediately.

Y

Seto Kaiba awoke at six in the morning to the sound of his cell phone ringing. The ringtone was "Gangsta's Paradise," so that meant it was the office. "This is Kaiba," he whispered, so he didn't wake Lisa. "What is it?"

"Mr. Kaiba, I'm sorry to disturb you so early," Yumi Ishiyama said, "but I'm afraid there's a problem at the labs. The tech people needed you to take a look at the VR pods. The screen visuals for those on the outside aren't that clear and they've tried everything. Would it be too much trouble for you to come in, sir?"

"I'll be there shortly, Yumi," Seto said, suppressing frustration. He'd hoped to be here when Lisa woke, but that wasn't going to happen. "Give me about half an hour if it can wait that long."

"Yes, sir. Thank you, sir. How is your fiancée doing, sir? We've all been a bit worried about her."

A few months ago, Seto might've snapped at his secretary for invading his personal territory, but now Seto knew many of his employees genuinely worried about their boss and his family. They'd all gotten together and sent get well cards when Mokuba was sick, and had even sent flowers on Tuesday after what had happened to Lisa. "She's feeling much better, thanks for asking, Yumi. I'll be in shortly. Bye, now."

Seto hung up from Yumi, and then looked at Lisa, sleeping peacefully. _I won't wake her,_ he decided. Instead, he went and took his shower, got dressed and then dashed off a note for his love, leaving it on the nightstand where she could find it. He knew she was in a very deep sleep, so he kissed her cheek. "Bye, babe," he whispered softly. "I love you." He quietly snuck out of the room and out of the house.

Y

Lisa Hammond slept until nearly 8:00 in the morning. She woke up and realized that Seto wasn't next to her. _Where is he? Oh…_ On the nightstand was a folded piece of paper addressed to "Leese." The young woman smiled and picked up the piece of paper.

_Dear Lisa, _the note read, _I got an emergency call from the office and I didn't want to wake you up after you had such a bad dream. Take Serenity and have a good time at the mall. Just remember to have as much fun as you want and that money is no object. Love, Seto._

_Oh, we will have fun, honey. Lots of fun,_ Lisa thought, smiling. She got out of bed, headed to the bathroom, and then took her hot shower. _Ah…_ She let herself relax and thought of places she and Serenity could go. And then, Lisa decided to sing in the shower. People told her she had a pretty singing voice, but Lisa had pursued medicine. She sang mainly for her own enjoyment. So today, she sang something from _Phantom of the Opera_. She cleaned herself off, got out of the shower, toweled off and got dressed.

Meanwhile, Serenity woke up at 8:15. Like Lisa, she got up, took a shower and then got dressed. She dressed in a pair of jeans, a long-sleeved pastel pink t-shirt and placed a bright pink short-sleeved t-shirt over that. Then Serenity put on a pair of athletic socks and a pair of pink sneakers and headed downstairs to get some breakfast.

Lisa was already in the kitchen sitting at a very lovely oak table when Serenity came in. "Hi, Serenity. Did you sleep okay?"

"Good morning, Lisa. Yeah, I did, thanks. Wow, you look nice!" Lisa was wearing a lavender athletic top with a v-neck and long sleeves trimmed in a darker purple, along with a pair of purple athletic pants with cream stripes running down the outside of the legs. She also had a pair of soft purple sneakers on.

"Thanks, Serenity. You look great, too! I guess we both went for casual. So what would you like to do today?"

"Um, I think I need some suggestions, but before we do something fun, I'd like to see Joey, Mai and Mokuba."

"Okay. Now what would you like for breakfast?" The girls picked out a few things, ate their breakfast and cleaned up. Then they headed back upstairs and brushed their teeth. Lisa put on some make-up and helped Serenity with a little bit of make-up.

"Serenity, you have such awesome skin," Lisa said as she applied a little foundation. "Your tone is so even!"

"Thanks. Do you think I look okay?"

"Well, I'll tell you what I've told your brother. You're going to break hearts someday, young lady." Serenity blushed, smiling. Lisa added a little lip gloss and some light blush, as well as a pale eye shadow that just accented Serenity's hazel-brown eyes. They finished up and headed downstairs to where a limo was waiting. Lisa told the driver, Darlene, to take them to Domino Children's Hospital. The two girls arrived at the hospital just before ten.

"Morning, guys. Good morning, Elizabeth," Lisa greeted, going over to Mokuba's bed to give him a hug.

"Hi, big sister," Mokuba said, hugging back.

"Morning, Leese," Joey added as he got a hug from his sister.

"Hey, guys," Mai greeted, sitting up. All three patients had enjoyed breakfast and Mai looked a lot better than she had around this time yesterday.

"Morning, girls," Elizabeth said. She was enjoying her own breakfast, and looked a bit tired. "Did you sleep okay, Serenity?"

"Yeah, Mom. I did." The small group talked for a few minutes about inconsequential matters and then Joey asked what his sister and Lisa would be doing for the day.

"Well, Joey, Serenity and I are going shopping. Oh, Liz, do you have a semi-formal dress?" Lisa asked.

"Well, no, I don't. Why do you ask?" Elizabeth queried.

"Well, Seto wants to take you, me and Serenity out to a really nice dinner, and he said we needed something semi-formal. So what's your size?" Elizabeth told her. "Okay, then. How about your shoes?" When Elizabeth told her, Lisa took notes. "We'll pick up something nice."

"Uh, Lisa?" Mai asked. "Could you two do me a favor?"

"Sure, Mai, what is it?" the young doctor asked.

"Zelda was here this morning and she wondered if my parents had diaries and if they did if I had them. I do have my mom's journals and I was wondering if you could pick them up for me. They're at my apartment, so if it's not too much trouble…"

"Of course, Mai, we'll do that for you. Where do you keep them?" Mai told them.

"I haven't ever looked at the journals. After what happened, I was afraid to." Mai paused a moment, drawing a deep breath, steadying herself. "But Zelda said maybe I'd find out there was a time my parents actually loved me and looked forward to me being here. She said I need to find out the truth."

Lisa and Serenity gave the older girl a big hug. "We'll get them for you, Mai. So is there anything we can pick up for you at the mall?" Lisa asked. "Any of you?"

Joey, Mokuba and Mai all looked at each other, then shook their heads. "We're cool," Joey answered. "You two should go have fun."

"Okay, guys," Lisa said. The two girls got the keys from Mai, said goodbye and headed out on their adventure. "I think we'll make our trip to the mall first. Then we can get some lunch, go to Mai's apartment and get her mother's journals, and then we can take them to her. Does that sound okay, Serenity?"

Serenity nodded. "So are you sure it's okay to spend a lot?"

Lisa smiled wryly. "I'm sure, Serenity. Seto wants us to look great for tonight and he also said he wanted you and Elizabeth to feel like royalty because you never should've been treated the way you were. Please don't worry about it," she added with some concern because Serenity looked worried. "Seto went through a lot when he was younger and he wants to make something better for you and your mom and Joey when he's better. Okay?"

"Okay." And with that, the two girls headed to the Domino Mall. Lisa knew exactly which shop to go into first. She took Serenity into the Domino Nordstrom, because Lisa had known the Nordstrom stores in the Seattle area quite well.

"Isn't this store kind of pricey?" Serenity whispered, looking at a tag on one evening dress.

"A little bit, but don't worry about it, Serenity. This is good stuff. Go try some stuff on," Lisa coaxed, and then found a dress she really liked. Finally, the girls made their selections, picking a dress for Elizabeth, paid and headed down to the women's shoes department. Lisa bought herself a pair of black sandals with a wedge heel, and a pair of shoes to go with her dress and Serenity selected a pair of gold strappy sandals to go with her dress. The girls also bought a few pairs of shoes for Serenity's mom (Elizabeth's sneakers were very worn and needed to be replaced).

"So where to next?" Serenity asked Lisa.

"Serenity, do you like bath stuff?" the older girl answered.

"Yeah, why?"

"One word… Lush."

"Lush?"

"Lush! It's my favorite bath shop! C'mon!" The two girls charged down the mall to the small bath shop and proceeded to go crazy, getting bath bombs, facial treatments, shampoos, conditioners, bubble bath bars and bath jellies.

"Oh, man, this stuff is amazing!" Serenity squealed. "When did this come here?"

"Fairly recently. They're getting one in the mall where I used to shop in Bellevue."

"Bellevue?"

"Oh, it's the city next to the town where I lived. It has a great mall and a lot of great shops. When I had the time, my parents took me there. I'm glad this shop's going to be there when I go back to Seattle for trips and stuff."

Serenity, in addition to buying stuff for herself, got a few things for Mai and her mother. "I wish I could do more to make Mai feel better, Lisa," she said wistfully.

"Serenity, you are doing a good job of making her feel better. It'll work out," Lisa responded, giving the younger girl a hug. "She'll appreciate what you're giving her and what you've already given. So don't you worry."

"Thanks, Lisa," Serenity said, hugging back. "Um, could we have sushi for lunch today?" And so the girls went to Tsunami Sushi House, one of the best places in Domino. They talked about school and about fun things they liked to do. After lunch, the two headed to the Domino Museum, the arcade (they played Dance Dance Revolution and Serenity beat Lisa) and then found themselves at the Dreamery Creamery Ice Cream Shop. Serenity was smiling a little as she stood in front of the shop, back in a time, years ago…

Y

"C'mon, Ren! It's just a little bit further!"

"Where are we going, big brother?"

Nine-year-old Joey smiled at his little sister and squeezed her hand. "I thought we could use some ice cream today. I've been savin' up and I wanted to treat you. Is that okay?" Joey _had _been saving his allowance the last few weeks, but he might have waited to take Serenity out for ice cream until later. However, Mom and Dad had really fought last night and something told Joey he needed to take his sister to ice cream now. It was later that week that Mom would take Serenity, but right now, neither kid knew that would happen.

Little Serenity, though she couldn't really articulate it at this point, felt extremely lucky that God had given her this wonderful big brother. She felt lucky that she had him to protect and love her. They walked into the ice cream shop, and they were still so short, they couldn't see over the counter. To top it off, Serenity's eyesight wasn't that great, so Joey had to help her. Fortunately, he had a very good idea of what kind of ice cream his little sister would want, so he could order for them both.

"Welcome to Dreamery Creamery," said a sandy haired female clerk, "what can I get for you kids today?"

"My little sister would like the Dreamery Signature Sundae, and I'd like a scoop of spumoni ice cream in a waffle cone, please."

"Coming right up," the clerk said. Joey had to stretch up to give her the money, but he managed it. The two little kids sat down at a booth and a waitress brought them their ice creams.

"Good, huh, Ren?" Joey asked, spumoni lining his mouth.

Serenity took the plastic spoon out of her mouth, a little whipped cream on the right side of her upper lip and answered, "Yeah, Joey! Thanks, big brother!"

Y

"Serenity? Earth to Serenity!" The fourteen-year-old was jarred out of her revelry when Lisa called softly to her, tapping her on the shoulder.

"Oh, sorry, Lisa. I was just thinking about when Joey brought me here, right before…" The younger girl trailed off, and Lisa understood.

"Oh, I see. Bittersweet?"

"A little bit. Joey took me here to make me feel better because Mom and Dad had had a really bad fight. A few days later, Mom and I left. I didn't want to leave without Joey…."

She trailed off, looking sad. "Serenity, would you like a treat?" Lisa asked, smiling a little.

The two girls entered the shop, which bore more than a passing resemblance to New York's famous Serendipity dessert shop. The girls each ordered the Creamery's signature waffle bowl sundae and sat down at a booth where they indulged themselves.

Serenity closed her eyes in bliss as she took her first bite. "Oh, this is so good! I haven't had one of these in such a long time," she explained.

"You haven't been here in a while," Lisa said, not understanding what the other girl meant.

"Oh, I meant I haven't been in an ice cream shop in a while. Money's been kind of tight and Mom and I have been just making it. I don't think Daddy ever paid child support. Mom couldn't afford a lawyer. But enough about that, Lisa. How long until you get married?"

Lisa smiled. "It'll be a little bit. I want us to wait until Mokie and Joey are out of the hospital. Oh, and it'll have to be when you, Joey and your mom have your new place. It'll be fun to help you guys get settled in a new place and I think the gang will want to help. So, Serenity, do you have a boyfriend back in North Haverbrook?"

"No," Serenity sighed, "even though some boys think I'm cute. They're so dumb sometimes."

"How so?"

"Well, they make body noises and talk about how great and macho they are. And then they get mad because I don't act like they're great, so they call me 'Frosty the Snow Witch.'" She sighed in frustration. "At least I won't have to deal with them anymore."

"Serenity," Lisa said after a moment, "you're not a snow witch. You're waiting for the right guy to come along. And it takes a while before guys begin to mature. Just wait and the right one will come." The girls finished their ice creams and headed to the Domino Prada shop, then headed to Mai's apartment.

Mai lived a few blocks from Lisa's apartment complex in a rather rich complex. She lived on the top floor in a very spacious apartment, decorated luxuriously with expensive furniture. "Wow," Serenity said, "this is way better than where my mom and I lived."

"Yeah, I'll bet, Serenity. Just remember, though, that this apartment belongs to a girl who hid a lot of pain." Serenity nodded at this. The two went to a closet where Mai stored her mother's journals that recorded the remaining 28 years of Hillary Valentine's life and the first thirteen years of Mai's life. There were 28 completed journals and a 29th that abruptly ended a few weeks after her 42nd birthday and a couple of days after Mai's thirteenth birthday. Both Lisa and Serenity wondered what Mai would discover, hoping and praying she'd discover that there was a time her parents loved and wanted her the way parents are supposed to.

The girls dropped off their shopping stuff at the mansion, Serenity taking her presents to Mai to the hospital. "I think these might cheer her up a little," the fourteen-year-old said, holding up a jar of expensive (yet very nice) facial cream.

"I think they will, Serenity," Lisa said softly in agreement. They rode back to the hospital and got there just in time to join Joey, Mokuba, Mai and Elizabeth for a very light afternoon snack. They didn't stay too long, giving Mai the journals and then taking Elizabeth back to the mansion to be dressed and primped for their night on the town with Seto. Jayda Yuki, on call this evening, said she would stay with the kids.

"So did you girls have fun today?" Elizabeth asked, noticing the rosy cheeks and smiles.

"Yeah, Mom, it was the best! We went all over, and I got a new dress and shoes for tonight! We got something for you, too!" Serenity exclaimed.

"Oh, my," Elizabeth said. "Lisa, are you sure about all this?"

"Yeah, Liz, I'm sure. Seto said he wanted me to go nuts and for you two to enjoy yourselves, too. And he said you needed something semi-formal."

"C'mon, Mom," Serenity pleaded, giving her mother a variation of the infamous "puppy dog eyes of death."

"Oh, all right," Elizabeth sighed, laughing too. "So where are we going for dinner?"

"Hmm, I think Seto wants to surprise us. He said something about going dancing."

"He didn't mention that early this afternoon. He came to the hospital at lunch and ate with us. He wanted to pay for… funeral expenses." Liz looked down as did Serenity. "I decided on cremation. It's easier that way." Lisa nodded, understanding.

The three women were quiet for a moment, and then started to chat about the evening ahead. "Serenity," the teen doctor said, "let me help you get all fixed for tonight. I think you need to be the princess for the evening."

"Um, okay."

Y

Seto Kaiba arrived at home at 5:30 PM. He came upstairs to find Lisa in their bedroom, getting ready for the evening out. "Hi, babe," he said, giving her a kiss on the lips (she hadn't applied her make-up yet). "Did you have fun today?"

"We did, honey," she answered. "I had to convince Serenity that it was okay to go nuts." She handed him the receipts for the day, and he took a good look at them.

Seto's eyebrow raised. "I don't think you went nuts enough. We'll have to do something about that. Is this dress one of the purchases?" He noticed what she was wearing. Lisa was wearing a light blue dress with a shimmery top with a pair of open-toed shoes that looked like a sexy version of what Cinderella might've worn.

"Yup. Do you like it?" she asked. Judging by his expression, he did. The dress hugged her in all the right places. He couldn't say it, but he nodded.

"So," he asked, "what about Elizabeth and Serenity?"

"Elizabeth will meet us downstairs and then I'll call for Serenity. She's the princess this evening."

"The princess?"

"She gets the heralding down the grand staircase."

"Oh… I'll get changed and you can get your make-up on."

About ten minutes later, Seto and Lisa were at the bottom of the mansion's grand staircase. Elizabeth came down, dressed in a long-sleeved gray silk dress with a v-neck and butterfly sleeves. "Elizabeth, you look lovely this evening," Seto said.

"Thank you, Seto, dear," Elizabeth said. "And you look very handsome." Seto was wearing a navy blue suit with a crisp white shirt and a blue tie. "And Lisa, you look stunning."

"Thanks, Liz, but just wait until you see your daughter!" Lisa said happily. She sensed Serenity was ready, and called out, "Okay, Serenity! Now! Presenting Miss Serenity Jayne Wheeler!" And Serenity appeared at the top of the staircase. The fourteen-year-old girl was wearing a calf-length shiny brown silk dress with cap sleeves and a scoop collar. She wore the strappy gold sandals she'd selected in the morning, she had some make-up on and her long red hair was twisted back into a braided bun. She looked like a princess in Lisa and Elizabeth's opinions.

Seto made the comment of the evening, though. "Lisa, you realize that Joey is going to have something to say about this, don't you?"

"He'll deal," she answered. "Serenity, you look gorgeous!"

The teen girl blushed. "Um… thank you, guys. So, where are we going tonight?"

Seto was smiling, but he was keeping his thoughts shielded. "Well, I thought that we could go to the Ritz-Domino for dinner tonight, and there's dancing there. Does that sound like fun?" Elizabeth and Serenity were duly impressed, but Lisa suddenly looked nervous.

"Honey, I don't know how to dance," Lisa admitted, blushing. "I'll be a total klutz out there!"

"Don't worry," Seto assured her as the four of them headed to the car (Bryce was waiting and holding the door open for them to climb in), "you'll be all right and the paparazzi won't get close."

The Ritz-Domino was one of the oldest and grandest hotels in the entire city. Domino's wealthiest families ate and had big celebrations there. Usually, this meant that the paparazzi would be congregated close to the entrance; however, a few well-placed phone calls to every newspaper, tabloid and media service made certain that no one dared get close to the Kaiba party. The four people headed up to the top level of the hotel, which had skylights and marble floors. There were tables around the edges of the room for people to sit and eat at and there was an open dance floor for everyone to dance at.

After Seto, Lisa and the Wheeler women enjoyed an elegant five-course dinner, Seto got up from the table. "Miss Wheeler, would you care to join me for a dance?" he asked formally.

"Mr. Kaiba, I'd be honored," she answered formally. Seto had done some research and cued the band to play one of Serenity's favorite fast songs, "Love Can Move Mountains," as sung by Celine Dion. The young man brought her back to the table breathless and laughing. "That was fun, Seto! Thanks! And thanks for letting me dance with your fiancé, Lisa."

"No problem," Lisa said.

"My pleasure, Serenity," Seto added. "Elizabeth, may I have this dance?" he asked Serenity's mother. She nodded and he spun her out on the dance floor to Nat King Cole's "Mona Lisa."

As the young man and his new employee danced, Serenity regained her breath and said, "Lisa, I've never danced like that before. It was fun!"

"You looked lovely out there, Serenity. I took pictures so Mai, Joey and Mokuba could see how great you looked."

"Thanks," the younger girl responded. "I hope I get as nice a guy as you've gotten."

"Your time will come, Serenity. For one thing, you've got a good example of what kind of guy to look for in your brother."

"Really?"

"Really. He's a little rough around the edges, but he's okay. He's a gentleman." The girls turned and watched as Seto and Elizabeth danced gracefully around the floor. "Your mom is a good dancer. I hope I don't embarrass Seto when I go out there," Lisa said, blushing. The song ended and Seto and Elizabeth returned to the table. Seto pulled the chair out for Elizabeth, helping her to sit down.

"Thank you, Seto. I really enjoyed that, and it was my favorite song that played. I loved it when I was your age, Serenity," Elizabeth said. "So is it your turn next, Lisa?"

Lisa looked at her fiancé expectantly, and Seto answered, "I'll take you out next, Leese, but I need a minute to catch my breath, all right?"

"All right, honey," Lisa answered. The group of four chatted pleasantly for a few minutes and Seto stood, taking his love's soft hand in his. He led her out to the dance floor and cued the orchestra himself. "Seto…?"

"Just relax," he whispered, pulling her close. "Do you like this song?" She recognized the notes of Seal's "Kiss from a Rose" and nodded, smiling. "I did a little research and found out what Serenity's, Elizabeth's and your favorite songs were. They only got their first favorite. You get a few more." She sighed softly, enjoying a feeling of sheer bliss in his strong warm arms as she leaned against his chest and shoulder. Lisa stepped on Seto's toes a few times, but he didn't get upset. "You're dancing without your powers, aren't you?"

She nodded. "I can't use them all the time."

The engaged couple finished dancing to "Kiss from a Rose," and then Seto cued the orchestra to play the arrangement of "Your Song" from one of Lisa's favorite movies, "Moulin Rouge." As the end of the song came, Seto sang the last line and kissed his love softly on the lips.

Serenity and Elizabeth watched the young couple dancing so sweetly and the mother said to her daughter, "That's what real love is, sweetie. He loves her no matter what."

"I know, Mom, and I know to look for a guy who's like him or Joey." And the young couple on the dance floor continued dancing the night away.

_Merry Christmas, everyone! Thanks for being so patient with me on this chapter! Thanks again to Invader101, glimerofhope, syrusfanatic12 and welcome to new reviewer hermione494! I appreciate and love all your reviews, guys! If you're enjoying this story and haven't left a review yet, please do, and I'll be glad to take your questions! I hope this was more lighthearted than the last few chapters. The next chapter will be heavier again. _

_Next time on "The Jedi League of Duelists," Mai reads her mother's journals and discovers more about how she came into this world. She'll need the team around her. Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah (a little late—sorry!), Happy Kwanzaa and Happy Boxing Day!_

_Read and review, everybody! _


	31. Revelation

Chapter XXV: Revelation

_Hello, again, loyal readers! Thanks for sticking with me and being patient! I hope you're all still enjoying "Jedi League," and I'm glad for your reviews! Thanks to my reviewers, syrusfanatic12, glimerofhope and Invader101! To all of you, your devotion to this story is very much appreciated! All chapters from 24 on are completely new, and therefore will take a bit more time, so please bear with me!_

_Okay, last time Lisa and Serenity had a blast in Domino and we learned that Lisa sucks at dancing (like I do in real life). Seto took his love, his new secretary and her daughter out to dinner and dancing, where Lisa stepped on Seto's toes. Also, Mai Valentine asked for and got her mother's old journals to discover if her mother ever truly loved and wanted her, in order to help Mai's healing process. So what happens now?_

_**Disclaimer: **__Peach Wookiee does __**not**__ own Yu-Gi-Oh. She's taught people from Japan, she's been through the Tokyo-Narita airport, but she definitely isn't Japanese. Further, her family name is __**not**__ Takahashi! __**Author's notes, as of early 2013:**__ I made some changes to the section breaks as well as to the flashback scenes. Otherwise, this chapter is largely untouched._

_**Warning: **__This part of the story deals with drugging people, adult situations and sexual assault._

Friday was to be a happy, relaxed day, but for the Jedi group, it would be anything but, though it did start out happy and relaxed for the most part. Seto, Lisa and the Wheeler women had gotten home from the Ritz-Domino at 11:30 the previous night and just had the strength to get to their rooms, get their fine clothing off, get their pajamas on and fall into bed and into a deep sleep. Consequently, they woke up at 8:45 on Friday morning.

"Morning, Lisa," Seto greeted softly, kissing his love. She smiled then winced, sitting up. "Are you okay?" he asked, concerned.

"I think I have some blisters," she admitted. "I've never danced like we did last night before." She gingerly got out from under the covers and her fiancé took a good look at her feet. She had two good blisters on her right foot and both had clearly burst. She had another burst blister on her left foot.

"Oh, Leese, you hurt yourself. You should've told me." He got out of bed and headed into the bathroom. He came back with band-aids, disinfectant and anti-bacterial ointment and a pair of Lisa's clean white athletic socks. "Let's clean those up." He swabbed the open wounds with the disinfectant while Lisa gritted her teeth, then put the band-aids on the wounds. Then he handed Lisa her socks, which she gently placed on her own feet.

"Thanks, honey. I had fun last night, though," she said, smiling. "I just hope your feet are all right. I stepped on them."

"Not too much," he answered. "Why don't we all get breakfast and give your feet a chance to take the medicine? And then we can all clean up and go to the hospital. Is that okay?"

"That'd be great, Seto. Let's do that." The couple headed down the hall, and they and the Wheeler women had breakfast together. And then all four got cleaned up and dressed and headed to the hospital. The plan was that the group of seven would spend time together until the rest of the group arrived. Then everyone would just hang out and Seto would order lunch. It would be a very relaxing day. But as is often said, even the best-laid plans can go wrong.

"Good morning, everybody," Lisa greeted as she, her love and Joey's mom and sister entered the hospital room.

"Morning, guys," Joey greeted, sitting up and getting a hug from Elizabeth, Serenity and Lisa. Then, he noticed Seto. The boys weren't sure what to do now, as they were friends but boys their age weren't sure if hugging was okay. "Um..."

"Lisa," Seto asked, looking awkward as he ever looked.

The young woman shrugged and pulled both young men into a hug so they could hug each other one-armed. "Is that better, you two?" she asked, smiling wryly.

"Yes, dear," Seto answered, mock-seriously, while Joey smiled sheepishly. Lisa rolled her eyes.

"Honestly, you two are friends now and there's nothing wrong with hugging. I will never get why guys are so touchy about that," she said, slightly disgusted.

"It's a guy thing," Seto said, "though I don't think Yugi shares it."

"Nope," Joey confirmed. "I think that's why he's more like my little brother. We're only a few months apart, though," he added with a slightly confused look on his face.

"It's his size," Lisa said knowingly. "I know he goes a little nuts when I get a little too… motherly," she admitted, blushing. Then Seto and Lisa moved over and hugged Mokuba.

Mai was sitting up and reading her mother's journals. "Hey, guys." She got the hugs from the girls, and said, "I'm just reading the year before I was even thought of. Mom really didn't want kids. It seems like since my dad wasn't interested in her, they may have been toying with me being a test-tube baby. Dad didn't want to adopt, though, because unless there were fertility issues, he wanted Mom to be pudgy, cute and pregnant for the cameras and not risk the press finding out about a surrogate or an adopted baby if she wore fake padding. This just keeps telling me they didn't want me for the right reasons."

"Maybe when she gets to talking about the pregnancy, you'll find something different about your mom, Mai," Lisa said, squeezing the older girl's hand.

"Well, I did find out she actually liked modeling. I also found out that she liked traveling the world and she… well… I found out some stuff that I don't feel right talking about in front of Mokuba. I know that you've heard a lot of stuff, but there's stuff I really don't think your brother or soon-to-be sister-in-law would be happy with you hearing, okay?" She said this because Mokuba had a slightly indignant expression on his face.

Seto looked at his brother. "Lisa and I agree with that assessment, Mokie," he said calmly with the once-common icy expression that gave Mokuba no opportunity to argue. Lisa, too, nodded in agreement with her fiancé.

"Anyway," Mai continued, "I'm finding out a lot of stuff. I'm almost afraid to open the year I became reality. I think I'll start reading that when everybody else gets here."

"Okay, Mai, if that's what you want," Lisa said.

"I'm kind of getting headaches. I read through most of the night. It actually does help, to know what was going through my mother's head when she was younger than me. She was 28 when I came. She really didn't want to give up modeling, but she did it. Maybe that's why…" Mai shook her blonde head as if to temporarily rid herself of the bad thoughts she was having. Lisa knew Mai would be seeing Zelda for a long time to come, and overcoming what Mai's mother had told her after what her father had done would be very difficult.

It was 11:30 when the rest of the gang started filtering into the hospital room. "Hi, guys," Yugi greeted as he and Tristan walked in.

"Hey, everybody," Tristan added. "What'd you guys do last night?" Serenity grinned happily and told him. Tristan wisely raised his mental shields, not wanting his best friend to know that he was thinking about said best friend's little sister dancing gracefully in a lovely gown and that he was thinking about dancing with her.

Yugi was smiling. "That kind of sounds fun, actually. I'm glad you had a nice time, guys. You took them to the Ritz-Domino?" he asked Seto, awed. The teen CEO nodded and then his expression turned stony. He had his laptop out and was looking at a website.

"Seto?" Lisa asked. "Honey, what's wrong?"

"The website layout," he scowled. "What part of 'I want it to be user-friendly' don't those idiots in the Tech Department get? It is so simple, but it's like they purposely want to get fired." The old Seto had made a temporary return, and Lisa realized she needed to talk the new Seto back.

"Honey, let me see." She sat down next to him, gently took his laptop and perused the website. "Hmmm, this is a bit difficult to navigate, and the help screen doesn't seem to be much help at all. Okay, rather than fire them, why don't you write down the problems and tell them to fix it?"

Seto took a deep breath to compose himself. "It's just frustrating, Leese. I'll try it your way. It's probably better to get them to try again than to start over at square one," he said grudgingly. She gave him a soft kiss on the cheek and smiled. _I have really gotten soft,_ he thought.

_No, darling, you've just learned balance and mercy,_ she countered. He looked at her in shock.

_I didn't have my shields up, did I?_

_No, honey, you didn't. Seto, just be glad you're maturing into someone with a cooler head._ He looked at her, nodded, and gave her the ghost of a smile.

A few minutes later, Duke arrived, followed shortly thereafter by Bakura. "Good morning, everybody," Duke said cheerfully.

"Good morning, mates, how are you?" Bakura added, giving the other kids and Elizabeth a smile. "Hello, Elizabeth."

"Good morning, Bakura, dear," Elizabeth said. "Yugi, isn't Teá coming today?"

"Yeah, but she might be working a little bit this morning," he said.

"So where does she work, guys? She didn't tell me where she works but she said she's been working at a burger place around here…" Lisa suddenly sensed nervousness from the teen boys. "What's the matter?"

"Lisa, what do you know about burger places around here?" Yugi asked curiously.

"Not much. I've heard of a few places but because of my hours, I haven't been able to do a lot of research," she admitted. "Why?"

"Well, do you know about a place called Burgerpalooza?" Yugi asked nervously.

"Is that where she works, Yugi? Why are you so nervous about that?" Lisa probed further. Yugi's cheeks turned red while the other boys looked uncomfortable (well, most people would argue Seto didn't, but Lisa knew better).

"Babe," Seto explained gently, "you have to be eighteen to work there."

"Why?" Lisa wondered. "What kind of burger place is it?" She suddenly had a horrible thought.

"It's nothing like that," Seto said abruptly, catching her thoughts, "but it's actually… well… Leese, it's… umm…" Now he was blushing slightly (furiously for him) and Lisa was still puzzled.

"Lisa, it's kinda like Hooters," Mokuba piped up, slightly shocking everyone in the room.

"Hooters?! Do her parents know?" Lisa asked in surprise. Joey's mom had an expression of slight shock on her face, but chose to say nothing.

"Not exactly," Yugi explained. "They know she has a job at a burger place, but they don't know she's not supposed to work there. I don't know if they'd like the uniform she wears there." Judging by Yugi's tone, he liked that uniform.

"Yugi… do you mind that she works there?" she asked curiously, looking at him.

"Um… no, I think she looks pretty in that uniform," he admitted. He didn't have his mental shields completely raised, and Lisa just happened to catch the slightly lustful thought coming from the short violet-eyed young man.

_Oh, my gosh. Next thing I'll find out is that he has… gentlemen's magazines in his room. _Wisely, Lisa decided she definitely didn't want to know on this point. Yugi, sensing her emotions, blushed a bit.

_Sorry, Lisa, _he sent sheepishly.

_Yugi, it's okay. You're a normal teenage boy. You just look so innocent, one would think that sort of stuff doesn't go on in your head,_ she sent back. He smiled back. Seto, meanwhile, wisely didn't get involved in the mental conversation.

Shortly after noon, Teá finally arrived at the hospital. "Hey, guys," she said tiredly.

"Rough shift?" Yugi asked, getting up from his seat to help his friend to a chair. "Teá, if your boss is being rough on you…" And then something in Teá's expression made the small King of Games realize something was up. "What's wrong, Teá?"

"I lost my job," she sighed. Everyone looked at her. "I've just missed too much lately, and Mr. Johansen had to find a replacement for me. He also found out I was just fifteen and that having me working at Burgerpalooza was unacceptable. He wouldn't have minded keeping me on, but I just had too much going against me. He did give me enough in severance that I'll be able to continue my dance lessons for another month. I just won't be able to participate in the recital in December; oh, well, I was getting tired of smelling like French fries on the weekend anyway." She said this last with a little humor in her voice, but anyone could see without their powers that it was a devastating blow.

"Oh, Teá," Yugi said, hugging her like the friend he was. "Dancing's your dream. Maybe… maybe something'll happen and you can keep up with your lessons somehow."

Teá, her eyes looking sad, managed to summon a smile. "Thanks, Yugi."

"Yugi's right, Teá. It'll work out. You'll see," Lisa added, coming over and giving her friend a hug. "Hey, is anyone hungry?" Everyone nodded and lunch was ordered. After lunch, Mai picked up the journal she'd been waiting to pick up.

"Thanks for being here while I read this, everybody," she said softly. "I don't think I could do this alone."

"That's what friends are for," Teá said, and everybody else snickered. She smiled knowingly and said, "You were all expecting me to say that, weren't you?" Everyone laughed. "Friendship Girl, now and forever," she added, smiling.

"We wouldn't have you any other way, girlfriend," Mai grinned. She opened the journal to the inside cover and found a pocket with a copy of her birth certificate, as well as a blood test. "'The child, identified as Mai Deirdre Valentine, has a blood type consistent with that of her mother. However, her blood type is _not consistent _with that of the man identified as her father, Bennett Valentine.' He's not my father?" she asked in shock. "But…" Then she pulled another document, a letter from her father to her mother. She read it, her hands beginning to shake. "She found a guy just to get pregnant, and he just wanted the appearance of having an heiress. I think I'm going to be sick," she moaned.

"Mai, you don't have to read this now," Lisa said softly, trying to relax the older girl.

"N-no, Lisa, I have to do this. I have to read it before… before I lose my nerve," Mai explained. "Joey, just stay there. I don't need you reading over my shoulder." Joey had started to move from his bed, but stopped when she bade him. "Just in case," she added softly and he nodded.

Mai began reading. _Dear Diary,_ the first entry said, _I have to have a baby. Bennett wants me to get pregnant so he can get a family image for the company. I'm going to have to find a willing or at least stupid guy to get with me at the right time, as Bennett prefers younger women to consort with._ The young woman kept reading her mother's entries for a bit (feeling pretty sick at what was said about the man she'd once called father), and then reached an entry that would've been around the time she'd been conceived.

_Dear Diary,_ the next entry said, _Bennett won't let this baby business drop, so I have to find a willing or at least a stupid guy. The timing is just about right, and hopefully I'll find a guy this week in New York._

Mai looked really sick at this moment. "What did she do? What did she do? She was just looking for some guy," she said, her voice shaking and her eyes shiny with unshed tears. "But who was it?" She flipped through two more pages and a photograph fell from the pages. Mai picked up the photo, looked at it, looked at Yugi, her eyes wide with fear and pain and she started shaking her head. "No… no, this can't be," she breathed.

Lisa sensed some of Mai's emotions, as did everyone else, and then Mai raised her mental shields. "Mai, what is it?" the teen doctor asked, moving close. The blonde girl held the photo and made no move to keep Lisa from getting it.

"Oh my gosh." Lisa took a good look at the photograph. Below the picture was the date and the caption, "My Baby's Daddy." And what had so deeply horrified Mai now horrified Lisa. What both girls saw was the older image of a young man with spiky black, blonde and burgundy hair, but the man in this picture was, to Lisa's practiced eye, clearly drugged into unconsciousness. Everyone was looking at them, nervous.

"Bakura," Lisa managed calmly, "go find George or another nurse and tell him that we need Zelda Goodwin in here right now. Hurry, Bakura. Mai, it's going to be okay…."

"No… this can't be… this can't be… I'm not supposed to be here." She got a crazed look in her eyes. "I never should've been here. I never should've been…."

"Mai, that's not true," Elizabeth Wheeler said softly. "You belong here. Whatever your mother did to get you here, you belong here."

"No, I don't," she said, barely above a whisper. "She forced him; Yugi, I'm sorry."

"Mai, what…?" Yugi asked, coming up to Mai's bedside. He saw the picture Lisa was holding. "Daddy?" he asked in shock. "That's my dad!"

"Yugi, are you sure?" Lisa asked.

"Yeah, I'm sure, but why would he have been in New York? He would've been about 21 and engaged to Mom when this was taken. I think I need to get Grandpa. Mai, he might know something about this. If it's true and my dad is your dad, then… that makes you my sister." Yugi said this last with a small smile.

"Yugi…" Mai couldn't say any more at this. Yugi climbed up onto the bed and hugged his (maybe) sister. Then he went and quickly called his grandfather. Seto sent the limo to Muto Games and Solomon Muto was at the hospital and in the room in twenty minutes.

"Solomon, I think you need to sit down." Lisa quickly explained what the rest of the group knew, while Zelda Goodwin sat next to Mai. The violet-eyed blonde girl had been virtually silent while dark thoughts went through her head.

_I don't deserve to be in this world. My mom raped somebody to get pregnant and she probably was never sorry. She got what she wanted. Oh, what if I'm like her?!_ Mai Deirdre Valentine was torturing herself horribly, as if somehow she were the one responsible for her mother's actions. The truth, she felt, was devastating.

"…So that's where we are right now, Solomon. We can't be totally sure that David was Mai's biological father except with a DNA test using you and Yugi to determine it, but I was wondering if you knew anything that might help determine the likelihood."

Solomon looked at his grandson and his possible granddaughter. "Mai, before I say anything about this, I want you to know that if you are my granddaughter, I will love you no matter what."

Mai couldn't believe her ears at first. She was still reeling from Yugi indicating that it didn't matter how she came into the world; all that mattered to him and now, to his grandfather, was that she was part of the family. But she reached out with her Jedi powers to be completely sure and realized the two Muto men were telling the truth. She also reached out to her other friends, her boyfriend, his sister, his mother and the young counselor who was helping her through the trauma of what her father had done to her to see how they felt. They were angry, but their anger wasn't directed at her; it was directed at those who had called themselves her parents and then treated her as lower than garbage. They all genuinely cared about her. "Thank you," she managed to say finally.

With that, Solomon sighed. "It is very possible that you're my granddaughter, Mai. David was engaged to Abby when he went to New York for a legal conference when he was 21." He paused a moment. "Seto, Lisa, are you sure it's okay for Mokuba to hear this?"

"Solomon, considering what he's been through in life, this is nothing that he won't be able to handle," Seto said. "Go ahead."

Solomon nodded. "Well, David went to this conference in New York and in the evening was at the hotel bar and grill. A strange woman came up to him and started hitting on him. He told her he was happily engaged and wasn't interested, and she acted like she was going to leave, but dropped her keys. He bent down and picked them up for her, and when he sat up, he took a swallow of his drink and then blacked out. He didn't remember anything until the next morning. He found himself in bed, and there was a note on the nightstand. 'You were great last night. Thanks!' it said. David felt horrible and even though it wasn't his fault, he felt like it was his fault."

"How long did that go on for?" Lisa asked softly, feeling that this was important.

"I think he carried that feeling to the grave. It was always at the back of his mind, and at his bachelor party…"

Y

Some nineteen years previously, Solomon Muto sat watching his son, David at the young man's bachelor party. David was enjoying his last night of bachelor freedom with his friends from his law firm. But the soon-to-be married man's father could tell that his son's heart just wasn't there.

"David," Solomon Muto asked as his son sat down next to him, running fingers through his blonde bangs, "are you all right, son? You don't seem like you're having much fun…."

"Dad," David admitted, "I just keep going back to that night, and I can't shake the feeling that I betrayed Abby. I keep thinking if I hadn't gone to that bar…"

"It wasn't your fault what that woman did to you, David. And Abby doesn't consider it a betrayal. How could she consider rape a betrayal?" David looked up at his father, really looked at him, for a moment.

"But Dad, it doesn't happen to men that way."

"David, were you drugged?"

"Yeah."

"Had you said no?"

"Yes, I said no to her several times."

"So, David, you were."

David regarded his father for a long moment, then said finally, "Thanks, Dad. I guess I'd better go enjoy my party, huh?" At that moment, Rich, one of David's fellow lawyers, came up to him.

"Hey, Muto, c'mon and enjoy your party, dude!" Rich was just about David's age. "Abby'll let you have fun, but that'll be limited."

"So, how's Adina, speaking of people who are letting you have fun?" David asked. Rich had just been married and was happy with his pretty young wife. The two young men went off to enjoy a drink while Solomon looked on….

Y

Solomon sighed now, looking at everyone. "David was all right, but what happened to him… he never quite got over it. But I do know this. Had he known about you, Mai, and known you were his daughter, he and Abby both would have fought to get you or at least be involved in your life. And I would be glad to have you as a granddaughter." Yugi nodded his agreement.

And then Zelda said something. "Mai, I think you need to really look around you and use those abilities you've been given to sense the people who obviously like and love the person that's right here in this bed and telling herself that she's worthless. You're not, honey. Go ahead. Sense them…."

Mai took a deep breath, and lowered her own shields as everyone else lowered theirs. She sensed them all, and knew that what Zelda just said was true. They were hurting with her and still loving the person they'd come to know. All of them did. Even though she was still teary, Mai started to smile. "Thanks, everybody. So should we do a DNA test?"

Lisa nodded. "I'll get the stuff and we'll do the test. The results will take a couple of hours to get, but it won't hurt to get the samples." She called George and got him to bring cotton swabs and the proper containers, then she swabbed the inside of Mai's cheek, Yugi's and Solomon's cheeks and then took the swabs down to a lab for analysis. She returned to the room a few minutes later and informed everyone it would be about two hours before the test was done and the results were known. Zelda left the room shortly after Lisa returned, offering to return if she was needed and reminding Mai that she wasn't alone.

"Yugi?" Mai asked. The short boy with her same eyes looked at her from his chair next to his grandfather.

"Yeah, Mai?" Yugi could sense Mai wanted to ask him something. _Yami?_

_Yes, aibou?_

_Stay with me, okay? This is all really hard._

Yami considered that a moment. _I can only imagine. I will stay with you, as always. If she is indeed your sister, how do you feel?_

_I'm angry at her mother for doing what she did to my father,_ Yugi admitted, _but I'll love Mai no matter what. She was my friend first, and if she's my sister… Oh, _**gross**_!_

_Yugi, what…? Oh._ Yami suddenly realized what Yugi was remembering. _The boat over to Duelist Kingdom?_

_Yeah! You just don't have dirty thoughts about your sister!_ Yugi was now personally disgusted about this, and Yami understood.

_Good point, Yugi._

This conversation went through Yugi's head in the space of about three seconds. He'd been keeping his shields up, so no one heard the conversation between him and his spirit buddy. Now, he looked at Mai expectantly. She'd decided to ask him something, but was almost afraid to continue asking him.

"Yugi, could you tell me about your dad?" She was sitting up in bed covered with her blankets, in the fashion of children at circle time in kindergarten and her arms were wrapped around her, almost as if she were hugging herself. She was looking at him, hungry for the knowledge that he possessed. The small teen boy realized this, got up from his seat and walked over to Mai's bed.

"Can I…?" he asked, pointing at the foot of her bed. She nodded and he climbed up, sitting tailor-fashion on the foot of the bed. "What do you want to know, Mai?"

Mai, for her part, had a whole flock of butterflies in the pit of her stomach, asking what she asked. _What if Yugi's dad is my dad? What part of me is more like him? Should I even be asking this? What if…?_

Yugi, sensing Mai's nervousness, moved and hugged her. "It's okay, Mai. If my dad is your dad, he's _our _dad, and that means you have a right to know. So," he asked, sitting back on the bed, right across from her with a little smile on his face, "what do you want to know about him?"

Mai thought a minute. "I'd like to know anything you can tell me. Um, Mr. Muto, the same with you, if you could."

"Mai," Solomon said thoughtfully, "you can call me Grandpa, if you'd like. Almost everyone here does."

"Okay, Grandpa," she said shyly as the old man took a chair next to her bed. "I just want to know anything. Was he nice? What were his favorite foods? I don't even know where to begin."

"Well," Solomon began, "David was my only child and he was the light of my and Grandma Sophie's life." And it seemed to the three violet-eyed people in the room that everyone but themselves disappeared as they talked. Among so many things, Mai discovered that the man that might truly be her father was a loving man, a loving father and someone who'd left this earth too soon. "He and Abby wanted more children after Yugi," Solomon concluded finally, about an hour after he, Yugi and Mai began to talk, "but it didn't happen. David fought to the very end. From what Yugi tells me, you're a lot like him in that, Mai."

"I surrendered when I dueled Yugi," she said softly.

"Sometimes knowing when to quit is a good thing," he countered. "Can I give you a hug, honey?" She nodded and he did. Mai had no memory of being hugged by a grandparent (those who had been her grandparents had died long before she was born), and so this felt pretty good. "It's going to be all right, and whatever the test says, you have a place with us."

"Thanks," she managed. And so, the entire group talked about other things as they waited for the results. Bakura told everyone about himself and his father and a bit about his late mom and sister. He found himself inundated with invitations to dinner and places to sleep if his house got too lonely. The British boy graciously said thank you to all these invitations and looked forward to the invitations that would come. However, deep within his mind where even he could not detect it, a dark mocking persona thought, _Foolish mortals… so pathetic._

Y

It was six PM when Registered Nurse (RN) George O'Malley made his way down the hall to the hospital room of Mokuba Kaiba, Joseph Wheeler and Mai Valentine. Even with the results he was carrying, he didn't dread coming to this room. In a nurse's career, one often has to help deliver bad news or cause a certain amount of pain. One also knows that patients can get pretty upset. But George knew that the room he was heading to contained patients that wouldn't get too upset with him. He took a deep breath, though, before he entered the room. _God,_ he prayed,_ help this group and help Lisa know the right words to say…_ And then he entered the room.

"Hi, everyone. Here are the results, Lisa," he said, handing the envelope to her. "Good luck," he added to the Mutos and Mai, and left quickly.

Lisa couldn't help but be a little nervous as she held the envelope in her hands. "Are you ready for this?" she asked, looking squarely at Yugi, Solomon and Mai. She could feel her clinical detachment taking over and bringing her a preternatural calm. The three nodded and joined hands. Teá gripped her hands against the rests of her chair, while Tristan held one of Serenity's hands and Elizabeth held her daughter's other hand. Joey sent a calming message into Mai's head while trying and failing to suppress his own nervousness, while Seto held his little brother in his arms and sent a calming message to his fiancée. Duke played nervously with one of his dice earrings, while Bakura twiddled his thumbs.

Lisa took a deep breath and opened the large manila envelope and pulling out the results papers. She read them very carefully, and took another deep breath. "Mai, I think I know how to best tell you this. Yugi is the King of Games, right?"

"Yeah. So?"

"Then you are, by birth, the Princess of Games. Yugi is indeed your brother."

For a brief moment, the room was silent. And then, everyone within 200 hundred feet of the room could hear the explosion of cheers.

_I know, I really messed with canon this chapter. I've just always thought it interesting that Mai looked enough like Yugi that they could be related. I've seen more than one fiction around here that has theorized that Mai is Yugi's aunt or cousin, but I imagined she could be his half-sister. I know this is a lot to absorb and I hope my plot twists and insanity haven't turned any of you off and that you'll continue to stick with me and this story. Read and review, folks!_


	32. No Matter What

Chapter XXVI: No Matter What…

_Hello again, loyal Jedi League readers! I'm sorry for the length of time it's taken to get chapter 26 up! I'm afraid my muse had me writing "Bittersweet Victory," a GX fiction, and I had to get it out of my head. The GX parents you've gotten to know in this story are in that story (all except for Jayda) and they're still at Domino Children's. Thanks to my reviewers for last chapter, glimerofhope, syrusfanatic12, Invader101 and Fleeting Illicit Delicious. And welcome to CaleighoMeer, whose "A Proud and Bitter Crown" is a really good read! All of you who are sticking with this story, __**thank you**__! _

_Okay, recap! Last time on "Yu-Gi-Oh: The Jedi League of Duelists," Mai made what initially was a tragic discovery about her origin… Due to a horrible act by her mother, Mai learned she was the half-sister of Yugi David Muto, which a DNA test later confirmed. But from the evil act came something Mai wouldn't have expected… a little brother and a grandfather who love her unconditionally. So what happens now?_

_**Disclaimer:**__ Do I own anything except this story, non-established characters and Lisa? I don't think so! On with the show!_

_**Author's notes, some time later: **__I made a dialogue change and some other minor changes. Again, it doesn't destroy the story._

Mai Deirdre Valentine heard the happy cheers around her, but felt strangely numb. _I'm Yugi's sister. I actually have a family…and…they actually want me._ She felt the hugs from Lisa, Teá, Serenity and Elizabeth, but felt almost detached from them. _They don't hate me. _She had found out today that she was not the product of a liaison between her parents, but the product of her mother drugging and raping the man that was Yugi Muto's father. Mai, had, for a brief period, thought that she didn't belong in this world. However, her newly-discovered little brother had done his level best to make her think otherwise. Even now, she could feel that. He was sitting on the foot of her hospital bed, just looking at her now with a shy smile on his face.

"Yugi," she asked when the hugs and whooping ended, "what is it?"

"I have a big sister." Then he got a thoughtful expression on his face and said, "I was also thinking maybe you'd like to see pictures of Dad so you could kinda get to know him. And you can get to know Mom too."

"But…"

"If Mom and Dad had known about you, they would've fought to have you and we would've grown up together. You should know them too, big sister." He moved closer and Mai pulled him into a hug. It was the first time he'd called her big sister, and she liked it. "Love you, Mai."

"Love you too…little brother. No matter what."

Then everyone became aware that Joey was nervous. _My girlfriend is my best friend's sister. And my girlfriend is my teacher's granddaughter. I've got to talk to them about this. _No one heard what he was actually thinking because he had his shields up, but they could all tell he was nervous. He took a deep breath and asked, "Yuge? Grandpa? Could I ask you guys something?"

Yugi looked up from hugging his sister, looked at his grandfather who nodded and answered, "Sure, Joey, what is it?"

"Well, knowin' that Mai's your sister changes things a little bit. I'm not just datin' my special girl; I'm datin' my best friend's sister and my duelin' coach's granddaughter. So, what I want to ask is… if it's okay for me to keep datin' Mai if you guys are okay with it." Joey rubbed the back of his head with his casted left hand nervously.

Solomon looked at Yugi, smiling. "Joseph," the old man said, "Mai is eighteen, and old enough to make her own decisions. But if you want my permission, you have it. You're a good young man who acts honorably. So if Mai wants to date you, I have no problem with it."

"That goes for me, too, Joey," Yugi added. Mai only smiled.

"So, do we celebrate all of this?" Seto asked. "I'll call in someplace for dinner. How about Chinese food?" Everyone liked that very much.

An hour or so later, Yugi was sitting with his sister and asked, "Mai?"

"Yeah, Yugi?" She was getting used to how Yugi was when he wasn't in a dangerous duel. _He's so mild. And he has that nervous smile when he wants to ask something._"What is it?"

He looked up at her shyly with almost the same eyes that greeted her in the mirror every morning, but his eyes had a sweet innocence that she knew hers lacked. "Um, when you get out of the hospital, could I take you somewhere?" He looked nervous, yet very serious.

"Where is it?" she asked.

"It's my special place. Teá's been there and so has Grandpa. I go there whenever I need to. It's Domino Cemetery, where Mom and Dad are. I know they're not really there, but…" Yugi looked down a minute, suddenly feeling very self-conscious.

"It helps just to act like they're there," Seto finished softly. Everyone looked at him in surprise, even Lisa. She knew he had a slight sentimental streak, but that he actually understood what Yugi was getting at was extraordinary for him. "Leese, you don't even know about this. Sometimes, I go out to the cemetery where Mom and Dad are, and… well, sometimes I just need to talk things out, you know?" He sighed softly. "I went out there by myself after what happened with Gozaburo. He'd never let me out of the house alone during the Year of Hell, so one of the first things I did was go out there."

"That's where you went, big brother?" Mokuba asked, surprised. "You didn't let me go with."

"Mokie, I kind of wanted to be alone that day. I didn't want you to see me upset."

Mokuba looked a little sad, and took a deep breath. "I was upset, too, Seto. I didn't know if the police were gonna come back and arrest you because… well, it doesn't matter, does it?"

"Mokuba, did you think I actually had…?" Seto asked with a strange catch in his voice. His eyes were wide with horror.

"I knew you wouldn't let him hurt me even if it meant…" Mokuba choked up and hugged his brother tightly. Seto held him tightly for a second, and then the little boy continued, "But if I'd gone with you, we could've been upset together."

"You're right, kid. You're right a lot of the time," Seto said finally, tousling his brother's head affectionately. "So you have a special place there too, Yugi?"

The diminutive King of Games nodded. "Maybe I can meet your mom and dad sometime, Seto. Um, Lisa?"

"Yes, Yugi?"

"When can Mai leave the hospital?" Everyone looked at Lisa expectantly. She took a deep breath.

"Well, Mai, you may be able to get out of here tomorrow if Zelda says it's okay." Zelda had left the room after she'd ascertained that Mai would be all right, and had told Lisa Mai would be checked and probably released on Saturday. "Mai, since it's clear you're not a threat to yourself or other people, you're okay to get out of here. However, Zelda was wondering where you'd go once you're out of here."

"I don't want to go back to the apartment yet. When I'm all alone…" She took a shaky breath and Yugi held her hand. "When I'm alone, sometimes the memories really come back. That's why I took the sleeping pills. The nightmares and memories didn't get me when I did. I don't think I want to be alone yet. I know I'm not alone anymore, but still…"

"It's okay to be scared, Mai. You could come live with me and Grandpa," Yugi said. Solomon nodded in agreement.

"I'd like that, but maybe I'll just get a hotel tomorrow night," Mai answered softly.

"I have a better idea," Lisa said. "Why don't you come to the mansion with Seto, Serenity, Liz and me? We've got plenty of room and you wouldn't be alone."

Mai fought with herself a little bit. For though she wanted to have companionship, part of her held back out of fear that she'd be hurt again. _They're not going to hurt you. They want to help you,_ a voice in her head argued.

_But how can I be sure? I've never been sure and gotten hurt!_

_Read them with your powers, stupid._ Mai mentally laughed at herself with this conversation. She took a breath and reached out. _See? They want to help, _the voice said. _Take it!_

"I'd like that," Mai said to the young couple. "Thank you."

"All right!" Serenity exclaimed. "It'll be like a slumber party! Right, Mom?"

Elizabeth smiled. "Well, honey, a little bit."

Lisa grinned. "Well, I think Seto won't mind us having a mini-party, Serenity, and he'll join us for some of it. Right, honey?" Seto nodded.

"We'll get whatever you'd like and you girls can hang out in the media room. I will not be allowing you to test cosmetics on me, so forget the makeover idea, Mai and Serenity." The blonde and redhead had sent an idea to each other about an activity involving Seto, makeup and possibly a dress. He had a sense of humor now, but that sense of humor didn't extend to him being treated like some kind of Barbie doll. Right now, he had his classic cold, serious expression on which said he meant business.

"Aw, darn," the two girls said clearly. They'd only toyed with the idea but somehow knew they wouldn't actually do it. It was just hilarious to them to think of Seto prancing around in a dress and heels. Everyone ate their dinner and all too soon it was time for everyone to go home.

"You two go home and get some rest," Mai told her brother and grandpa. "The last thing I need is one or both of you getting sick. Grandpa, Yugi, please don't worry. I'll be okay," she reassured them.

"You sure, Mai?" Yugi asked. "We'll stay, big sister."

"Go home!"

"If you need us, you can call us, honey, okay?" Solomon reminded her. The new family hugged each other, and the male Mutos left sister and granddaughter. Seto and Lisa gave Mokuba hugs and kisses good night, and Liz and Serenity did the same for Joey. Roland the security man took his place at the hospital room door, and the three young patients went to sleep.

Y

At one in the morning, Joey woke up in a cold, frightened sweat. To his surprise, Mai was already sitting next to him. "You're okay, you had a nightmare," she whispered. "What happened?" she asked, hugging him gently.

"Mai? Joey?" Mokuba softly called. "What's wrong?"

"Joey had a nightmare," Mai explained. "What was it about?" she asked her love.

"That night," Joey said softly.

Y

In his nightmare, Joey felt himself being dragged from his bed again as his father began to beat him. However, this time, the beating seemed to go much longer. When Jake Wheeler finally staggered back to his bedroom, Joey was barely able to drag himself up. Severely injured, more so than when he had actually left the apartment. He got down to the ground level of the apartment, saw his friends running toward him, and Mai got to him before he collapsed to the ground.

"Joey, you've got to hang on," she pleaded. "They've called an ambulance."

"Mai, I love…you," Joey got out, and died. Then he saw his own funeral, and his friends and his sister crying over his battered corpse.

Y

"I died in your arms and Leese couldn't do anything," Joey said. "I guess… I don't know…" He shook nervously and Mai wasn't sure what to do. But Mokuba did.

"Roland?" he called softly. The security man came into the room quickly at his principal's call.

"What is it, Mokuba?"

"Can I borrow your cell phone a minute? I need to call somebody."

"I can't let you call Lisa, you know."

"I'm calling her mommy."

"Moks," Joey said softly, "it's one in the morning. You shouldn't…"

"Lisa's mommy said I could call her even at three in the morning. So I'm going to," the small boy said simply. "I can't get you to talk to Lisa tonight, so let's talk to Lisa's mommy." Mokuba took the cell phone from Roland and calmly dialed the number to Lisa's parents.

Over a thousand miles away in Kirkland, Washington, the phone rang. Gigi Hammond, already awake due to her tendency toward insomnia, picked up the phone, worried. "Hello, Hammond residence."

"Gigi, it's Mokuba," a little voice said. "I know it's late, but you said I could call even at three in the morning."

"I did, sweetie. So what's going on?"

"Joey had a nightmare. You remember Joey, right?"

"Yes, I do. What's happened, Mokuba?"

"He had a nightmare and he needs somebody to talk to. Is that okay?"

Gigi smiled, glad she could help. "That's fine, honey." Mokuba handed the phone to Roland who took the phone to Joey. "Hi, Joey."

"Hi, Gigi. Sorry if we woke you up," Joey apologized.

"I was awake already, honey. It's all right. So Mokuba tells me you had a nightmare."

"Yeah," Joey told her, and Gigi prayed with him.

"It'll be all right, honey," she told the boy when she finished. "You're safe now, and you'll be okay. You know you're never alone, right?"

Joey smiled. "Yeah. I know God and all the saints and angels are with me." Then he sobered. "I just keep going over that night. Why did I have to go through that stuff? Why does anybody?"

"I don't know, honey. Nobody has those answers, really. But what I do know is that you survived and you're going to be okay. Think you can go back to sleep, honey?"

"Yeah, I can. Mai's here. She's getting out of here in the morning. I'll let you talk to her. G'night, Gigi and thanks."

"Good night, sweetie." Gigi talked to Mai for a couple of minutes and then hung up.

"Is everything all right, Geege?" Darren asked softly as his wife hung up the phone.

"It's all right, honey. I just had to help three scared kids." And the Hammonds fell back to sleep. Meanwhile at Domino Children's, Mai handed the cell phone back to Roland and the three kids got comfortable and fell back to sleep. Roland took his place outside the door, prepared to face any danger.

Y

Saturday morning dawned clear and bright. At Muto Games, Yugi woke up, excited for the day ahead. _Good morning, Yami!_ The boy stretched, got out of bed and made it, then pulled out his outfit, blue jeans and a dark red T-shirt with a lighter rectangle of red at the chest. Then he placed his boxers and socks on top of the outfit. _Is this okay?_

_It's your body, aibou. If you're happy with this outfit, I am, too. Why did you ask? You don't, usually._

_Well, it's your body, too, Yami,_ Yugi pointed out. _I just thought you should have some say in what we wear._

_Now, what?_

_We need a shower and we need to go to the bathroom._ Yugi headed into the bathroom, did what he needed to do and then turned on the shower. _Ah…_ He let the warm water beat down for a few short minutes, and then grabbed the shampoo. _Hey, Yami?_

_Yes, Yugi? _the spirit of the Millennium Puzzle asked, noticing that the boy had something on his mind. _Aibou, what is it?_

_Nothing. _Yugi seemed to have something on his mind but didn't want to tell Yami. He shampooed his hair, hoping the 5000-year-old spirit would let it drop. No such luck.

_It's not nothing, Yugi. You know you can tell me anything. _A mental chuckle. _And as you pointed out, we do share a body, so what affects you affects me as well. What is it?_

_Yami, you know I like Teá, right?_

_Right. So what is the matter?_

Yugi balanced on one foot as he lifted the other to scrub it. _Sometimes, I think she likes you better than me._

_Yugi, she's our friend._

The boy sighed, exasperated. _Do I have to spell it out for you?! Yami, she __**likes**__ you better than me!_

_She…? Oh… Yugi, I don't think that..._

_Yes, it is! It's true! You're taller than me, you're cooler than me, and you haven't gotten stuffed into a locker because you're so scrawny!_ Yugi picked up the bottle of conditioner and used it so his hair wouldn't be tangled.

_Yugi, please think about this. As you just pointed out, we share a body, so when you get stuffed into a locker, I do as well. As for Teá, I believe she likes you very well. Her mental self was holding you up when I was fighting Pegasus back at Duelist Kingdom. She was grieving terribly because she thought you might be lost forever. She has known you since you were small children. I believe that if she likes someone, she likes us both. _

_Maybe you're right, Yami._ Yugi finished his shower, dried off, got dressed and headed downstairs for breakfast.

Meanwhile, Teá Gardner woke up, staggered into the bathroom and took her shower as well. She thought about her dance moves and then remembered she wouldn't be able to take lessons for much longer. _I still have to believe I'll make it happen, and maybe God'll give me a way to pay for my dance lessons. _She scrubbed herself and her hair and just let the warm water relax her muscles. _I wonder how Yugi is this morning?_ She reached out with her Jedi powers to sense Yugi's familiar presence and that of the mysterious 5000-year-old spirit. Yugi had his shields raised, which said he wasn't in the mood to talk at the moment. But what she could tell was that he was okay, though maybe a little upset.

_Wonder what's bothering him,_ she thought. _Yugi's changed so much since he got the puzzle. It's got to be because of his other side. That guy makes Yugi more confident and he seems really nice. Oh crap. Now I have a problem. Do I like one better than the other? Maybe I should get some advice from Lisa. She said she never had a boyfriend before Seto, but she's getting married, so maybe she can help me with this._ The brown-haired, blue-eyed girl got out of the shower, dried off, headed into her room and got dressed in a pretty burgundy skirt that came to just above her knees and a cable-knit cream sweater. She then pulled on a pair of calf-length brown sherling boots, went downstairs, got her breakfast, and headed to the game shop.

"Good morning, Mr. Muto," she greeted Yugi's grandfather. "How are you this morning?"

"Oh, I'm all right, Teá. I'm one grandchild richer this morning. That makes the morning a lot better."

"That's good," the girl answered. _That's going to take some getting used to,_ she thought. "Will you be coming to the hospital with us this morning?"

"No. I have to work the shop today, though I wish I could just take off. Yugi should be down in a moment. He seems a little tense this morning," the old man said by way of warning. Teá nodded. "I have a feeling it's not related to yesterday though."

"Oh. Okay, then, I'll try to cheer him up."

"You almost always manage to, honey," Solomon responded, smiling. "Just have fun and try to cheer my granddaughter up too, if you would."

"All right," she said. Then the teen girl sensed her close friend coming down the stairs and he seemed a little happier than when she'd sensed him earlier.

"Morning, Grandpa, morning, Teá," he greeted, giving his granddad a hug. "Are we going to see the guys?"

"I thought that was the plan," Teá answered. "You okay this morning, Yugi? You seemed tense this morning. I was going to say hi, but you seemed distracted."

She could sense Yugi raising his mental shields again. "I'm okay, Teá. Don't worry about it," he answered, smiling a little. "Just thinking about stuff."

"Okay," she answered, not wanting to press the point too much. _He'll tell me when he's ready. _The two kids said good-bye to Solomon Muto and headed out the door.

Meanwhile, not too far from Yugi and Teá's houses, Tristan Taylor woke up. He staggered into his bathroom and then got into the shower. _Man, what a crazy few months so far, _he thought. _Wonder what's next? Man, Joey's sister is sure cute. Oh great. Of all the girls in the world, I had to be interested in my best friend's sister. I have to be really careful._ Tristan cleaned himself off, turned off the tap, got out of the shower and got himself ready. And then he headed out the door. He met up with Yugi and Teá and they headed toward the hospital.

At a small yet cozy house in another part of the city, Bakura awoke alone. His father was gone on yet another expedition, this time to some ruins in Afghanistan.

"With the change in power, 'Kura," Kenneth Ryou had said, "I can check out the ruins and not fear the government will blow them up before I can get there."

As was typical, Bakura nodded. "That's great, Dad. When will you be back?"

"In about three weeks, son. Are you sure you're all right here by yourself?"

"Yes, I'm quite all right, Dad." That had been a week ago and now the boy was thinking about how lonesome he was. Though the fifteen-year-old understood why he had to be left, he didn't like being alone so much. _Oh, well, perhaps I can be with my friends later today. I must do my shopping, though, _he thought.

Deep inside the teenager's mind, beyond where even he could hear it, another mind mocked, _Stupid mortal. He actually thinks they care about him._

At the Kaiba mansion, Seto awoke fairly early that morning and chose to get in a quick workout in his gym. He knew Lisa would remain sound asleep if he stayed quiet, so he grabbed his workout clothes and headed to the gym to change. He did and worked out for about half an hour. The gym had a bathroom attached to it, so the young CEO could clean himself up. He got a quick shower and put clean boxer shorts on, but put his pajamas back on. He padded out of the gym and headed toward the kitchen. As it happened, Elizabeth and Serenity were also heading toward the kitchen and greeted the boy.

"How long have you two been up?" he asked politely.

"Oh, probably about twenty minutes," Elizabeth said. "We usually get up and sit and talk in the kitchen on Saturday morning. I haven't seen the staff up."

"Oh," Seto said. "Mokuba and I give the staff a few hours off on Saturday morning so we have the mansion to ourselves. I guess I should've warned you two about that. So what would you two like for breakfast? I usually cook for Mokuba and me on Saturday mornings, but lately we've had Lisa. I can make pancakes, French toast, waffles or there's cereal if you'd like that."

Serenity selected French toast and Seto whipped it up pretty quickly. He wouldn't make Lisa's share until later when he knew she was awake. It was pretty early in the morning, so Seto expected she would sleep a while. The Wheeler women ate the very good breakfast Seto cooked for them, and then they went upstairs, got ready for the day and went to the hospital.

After the Wheelers left, Seto went back to his room. As he thought, Lisa was still sound asleep. He got his clothes on (dark jeans and a black long-sleeve T-shirt) and read his newspaper. He found himself glancing over the edge of the paper to his love quite often. _She's so beautiful,_ he thought, smiling a little. _She's not the most beautiful woman in the world, but to me, she is. She loves Mokie like he was her very own and she loves me without any condition._ Seto mentally laughed at himself. _Man, did George Lucas write my inner romantic dialogue?! As long as I don't try to score while talking about sand, I think I'm okay, though._ He read for a few more minutes and then sensed Lisa beginning to stir. Fortunately, he'd finished reading the sections of the paper he wanted to read. He walked over and sat on the edge of the bed.

Lisa's eyes fluttered open and she sat up, smiling. "Good morning, honey. Were you waiting for me to wake up?"

"Yeah, babe," he answered, kissing her. "You were asleep a while."

"What time is it?"

"Ten after ten. You fell asleep at 10:30. Are you feeling all right?" She nodded.

"Seto, I guess I've been tired lately. And you have been, too, I think."

"Yeah, Leese. You're right. So what happens today?" he asked, handing her a glass of juice he'd brought up. She took a sip of her favorite cran-raspberry juice.

"Well, Mokuba's leg casts are coming off. Scout told me she just wanted to be sure his legs had a tiny bit more time to heal before she let him try them out. He may be able to come home on Monday."

Seto looked at Lisa, his eyes brightening with joy. "That's… that's great! Even with the girls here and you, it's so empty without him. Oh, when's Joey able to get out?"

"Monday. Scout told Liz and me that Joey is recovering nicely and the sutures are dissolved. Since Joey can walk by himself for the most part, he should be all right. Has Liz picked a house yet?"

"She'll need to have a look at the three houses I found in the right price range. She'll be able to pay the mortgage and she'll have somebody to do the yard work. Joey won't be in any sort of shape to do it yet, will he?" Lisa shook her head and kept sipping her juice. "In that case, she'll definitely need the help. All three houses have decent yards and some bushes. I don't want to impede recoveries or give Elizabeth more to worry about." His expression had gone stony and Lisa understood why. It still made him angry that Joey, Serenity and Elizabeth had been treated the way they had and that they were separated for so long. He had feared that he and Mokuba would be separated and to know that a brother and sister had been separated because their father had willed it so angered and hurt Seto at the same time.

"Seto," Lisa said softly, "it's all right." She pulled him into a hug. "What you're doing for them…it's wonderful. And I know you have no strings attached. You're doing this because it's the right thing to do. And that's great."

"I was such a jerk before, and Leese…" She hugged him a little bit tighter. He had changed from the young man he was when she met him. He was no longer cold and let his emotions come out. "I'm okay," he said finally and she looked up. He looked a tiny bit shaky, but he was definitely all right. "Why don't you get up and get yourself cleaned up? We can go when you're ready to go." She nodded and got out of bed, heading to the bathroom for her shower. She got clean and dressed and they were at the hospital at 11:30.

"Hey, guys," Joey greeted when the couple arrived. "We were all wonderin' when you'd get here. What's in the box, Leese?" Lisa was holding a shiny silver Nordstrom box in her arms.

"Mai," she said, handing the box to the blonde girl, "I got something for you to wear out of here today. It's probably different than you're used to, but then the press will be looking for you as you usually are. We can even pull your hair back and up." Mai nodded, opening up the box. Inside was a cute purple track suit and white T-shirt, as well as socks and sneakers in Mai's size.

"You didn't have to do this!" she said.

"I think we did," Lisa countered, sitting down next to the older girl. "The press doesn't know why you were hospitalized and maybe it's better that we get you out of here and you, Yugi and Solomon figure out how to deal with this."

Yugi looked at Lisa. "You mean telling the press that Mai's my sister. I'm glad to let people know she's my sister. It's about how it happened that's kind of hard to tell, but maybe it has to be told." Yugi, who'd been sitting on one side of his sister's bed, squeezed her hand. "It'll be okay, big sister, whatever we decide to do, okay?"

Mai regarded Yugi for a minute, serious, then smiled. "I think you're right, little brother. So what happens today?"

"Well, Mokuba's getting his casts off and then he can spend some time in the therapy pool," Lisa answered.

"Why?" Mokuba asked.

"Sweetie, if you can manage it, tomorrow we're going to let you have a crack at walking again. And if you can walk just a little bit, then you and Joey can come home on Monday."

Joey, who'd been lounging in his bed, sat up in surprise. "Are you kiddin', Leese? But…"

"Until your mom, Serenity and you are ready to move into a new place, you can stay at the mansion with us. Besides, I can keep an eye on you for a few days to be sure you're still recovering. So no, I am definitely not kidding, Joey," Lisa answered, smiling gently. "You and Mokuba have been stuck here and I think it's about time you got out of here. Sound good?"

"Yeah! So about that new place…" At this, Seto pulled out a set of pictures and specifications from his briefcase and handed them to Elizabeth, who made her final choice. Then everyone had their lunch.

Y

At Domino General Hospital, which connects to Domino Children's, a patient in his early thirties with silver hair and an amber right eye (the left eye curtained by the long silver hair) sat at the window of his lovely hospital suite, staring out at the ocean view. He sighed softly, thinking of all he'd gained and lost in the past months.

"Master Pegasus?" a man with gray hair and a mustache asked, coming into the room. "May I get you something, sir?"

Maximilian Julius Pegasus sighed once more, looking at his faithful servant. "No, Croquet, thank you. I've just been thinking about things. I've got a great deal to make up for."

"Sir?"

"I've found out things while I've been in here and I need to make some apologies. Croquet, I'd like to go for a walk today… Find out if it's all right for me to go over to Domino Children's, would you please?" Croquet nodded, and went to the nurse's station to find out.

It was 1:30 PM when the young Jedi kids and the lone adult in the room finished their lunches. "So, Mokuba, are you ready to get your casts off, angel?" Lisa asked.

"Yeah! Are my legs gonna be gross, big sister?" Mokuba asked with childish delight evident on his face.

"Yes, they will be, kiddo, so you'll get them cleaned off."

"Aw, man!"

"Mokuba, it'll be great because you'll walk again. And when you do, we'll all be here to help. We'll be your cheering section," Yugi said. Perhaps no one had been using their powers to sense the outside of the room because they were surprised when they heard a voice from their past.

"Yugi-boy! I thought I heard your voice! Had to walk past twice, but I'm glad to know it was you!" The entire group tensed, except for Lisa, Serenity and Elizabeth. Seto's eyes narrowed, and Lisa could sense a combination of rage and fear from her beloved.

"Pegasus…"

_Cliffhanger! What will happen now? Certainly, Max Pegasus showing up will dredge up a lot of bad feelings in the group. Is Max really sorry for all that he did? Will anyone accept his apologies? Well, you'll just have to see in the next installment of "The Jedi League of Duelists!" Hopefully, the next chapter will not take as long to put up! Read and review, everyone!_


	33. Funny Bunny Meets Blue Eyes

Chapter XXVII: Funny Bunny Meets Blue Eyes

_Hello again, Yu-Gi-Oh and Jedi League fans and those of you who have just joined the story. I'm glad you all have kept track and reviewed in the relaunch. I know I've messed around with canon, and I'm relieved that you haven't minded and a couple of you seem to like the changes I've made, as crazy as they are. Thanks to all my reviewers! To those of you who are reading and not reviewing, please review! I like to know who's read and what they think, even if I disagree!_

_**Disclaimer:**__ Peach Wookiee doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh. She only owns a few DVDs, her ideas and Lisa Angela Hammond. She just happens to have fun writing fan fiction._

_**Author's note, some time later: **__Took out the recap and made some other edits. And yes, this chapter's title was inspired by the legendary "Bambi Meets Godzilla" by Marv Newland. Youtube it, people._

"Pegasus," Seto growled, eyes narrowed. If there was one person Seto James Kaiba feared and detested, it was Maximilian Julius Pegasus. That man had kidnapped his brother nearly two months previously and had seemingly disappeared off the face of the planet. Now he was in the room and for all Seto knew, in the position to harm Mokuba and Lisa. _I won't let him hurt them._

"What? No 'hello, how are you?'" Max asked, acting a bit surprised. He then noticed most of the people in the room were regarding him with expressions ranging from fear to outright hostility. All of them, that is, except for Joseph Wheeler's little sister, a redheaded woman he didn't recognize and a girl he recognized from the news as Seto's girlfriend and the one who had taken down young Joseph's father not quite a week ago.

Lisa, sensing the definite unease from her friends and fiancé, quickly sent, _Guys, sense him and figure out his real intentions. I don't sense malevolence._ They reached out and sensed the thirty-something CEO. He had no evil intentions (_for once,_ Seto thought clearly) and so the team was able to relax a bit. "You must be Max Pegasus. My name's Lisa Hammond," she said, coming over and offering her hand for him to shake it. He took it and kissed her knuckles suavely.

"So this is the young lady who stole Kaiba boy's heart," he said. "I guess you know why everyone is reacting the way they are, then. I was…"

She held up her hand for silence. "Mr. Pegasus…"

"Please, call me Max. I'd rather we all be a bit more informal."

"All right, Max, then. Before I say anything, I need to ask you something. Did you really want to kill my fiancé and his little brother?"

"I didn't, but…Kaiba boy, your business associates made it clear that you had to be dead so they could control Mokuba. I wouldn't have done it otherwise." Lisa scanned him carefully, as did the other Jedi kids.

"You're telling the truth," Seto said in genuine shock. "You really didn't want to kill us. But you did regard it as a necessary evil."

"Kaiba boy, how did you..?" Pegasus asked, eye wide. Seto looked at Lisa, who nodded. She gestured, shutting the room's door. "What the—?!" the Industrial Illusions CEO yelped.

"I assume you know that I have certain powers, Max?" she asked. He nodded, so she continued, "They all have the same powers I do. Some powers of theirs haven't been developed yet which is fortunate for you because I think they probably wanted to use Jedi Strike to put you through the wall." Max Pegasus's eye widened in understanding.

"I saw what happened on Monday. You were very brave to do as you did, young lady. Wait a minute; did you say fiancé?"

Lisa and Seto both smiled. "Yes, I did," the girl answered. "Seto and I are engaged. It happened the morning Joey was almost killed. Now, why are you here, Max?"

"I am here to make amends. First, to you, Yugi boy, I am sorry that I did what I did. You probably don't know why; none of you do."

Teá blushed a bit and said, "Actually, Mr. Pegasus, we do know why. When you were carried out of the tower, we thought maybe you hadn't kept your promise to let Yugi's grandpa, Mokuba and Seto go. So we went up to the tower room and kind of looked at your diary. We found the blank soul cards and then found out kind of why you did what you did." She was blushing furiously at this, but to her surprise and everyone else's in the room, Max started to laugh.

"Teá, my dear, you act as if you conducted international espionage! I don't blame you for looking. I guess you read about my Cecelia, then?" he asked, sobering. Four heads nodded. "I loved her more than anything. She was the reason I woke up in the morning and felt inspired to paint. Even when she was somewhere on the grounds or at her house, I felt as if she was right beside me, guiding my every brushstroke. When she died, it was as if part of me died with her. You might not understand that yet, Seto." But to his surprise, Seto was nodding thoughtfully.

"I do understand now. Lisa and Mokie are my world. If I lost either of them…" He couldn't finish the thought. "I understand. But what I don't understand is how you could do what you did." The teen's voice became cold steel. "You tried to have me killed and my little brother."

Pegasus looked very contrite. "I put the hit order out on you, Kaiba boy, because your board of directors said you needed to be eliminated. I have no defense for following through with that order or hurting you, Mokuba. And I'm sorry. Yugi, I'm sorry for what I did to you and your grandfather as well. Will I have the opportunity to talk with him as well?"

Yugi nodded. "Why now? Why are you asking our forgiveness now? I just want to know why, is all."

Pegasus sighed. "I've been at Domino General for about two months now, Yugi boy. I've had a lot of time to think and reflect on what I did. I realized that had I gotten Cecelia back, she probably would've grown to hate me. She wouldn't have wanted to be resurrected at the cost of at least four lives, especially three innocent boys who've barely begun to live. I'll understand if you don't want to forgive me, but I will hope that you each do." He bowed his head in true contrition.

Seto was dumbfounded for a moment, and had he not had his powers, he might've thrown Max's contrition back in the man's face. But in the past few weeks, Seto James Kaiba had learned how to read when people were genuinely sorry and that he should learn to forgive. And so he took a deep breath and said, "Pegasus, if someone had told me a few weeks ago that you'd be coming to ask for my forgiveness, I'd have laughed at them. I'd also have doubted your sincerity greatly. But I can now tell you are actually sorry. And so, I forgive you." Mokuba nodded, too.

And then Yugi said, "I do, too. And there really are two of us. They all know now. Even…my sister knows." It was the first time that he had said it to someone outside of the group that wasn't medical personnel.

"Your sister? Yugi boy, who's..?"

Mai swallowed, took a deep breath and answered, "I am. We just found out yesterday, Pegasus. We aren't sure how to go about telling it yet."

"Yugi boy?"

"We have the same dad, Pegasus. But we didn't know that. It's a long story," Yugi said. "We can talk about it later, okay?" There was something in Yugi's tone that said this issue should not be pressed just yet. Wisely, Max didn't.

"Devlin boy, I also owe you an apology. You see…"

"You cheated in our Dungeon Dice duel. They all told me about it. Why did you?"

Pegasus sighed, and answered, "Because I could, Duke. I was so used to using the Eye, I didn't think about not using it. But I no longer have it…"

"You don't?" Yugi asked.

"No, Yugi boy, I don't." He pulled back the curtain of his hair to reveal the area where his left eye should have been. However, there was a hole. Most of the group drew back, horrified and repulsed. Lisa, however, had seen far worse in her short time on this planet as a doctor. "It's gone," he continued. "I don't remember what happened, but I remember releasing your grandfather and you and your brother, Kaiba boy."

"Pegasus?" Seto said.

"Yes, Kaiba boy?"

"Could you please, for the love of Blue Eyes, call me Seto? I'm tired of just being Kaiba or variations thereof." Seto had the frustrated, yet cold look on his face which said he meant business. Lisa and the others could tell, though that he was extending a privilege to Max that meant forgiveness. Somehow, Max understood it too.

"All right, Seto boy. And you and everyone here should call me Max. Lisa girl, I just don't truly recall what happened after that clearly; it's very disjointed. The next thing I clearly recall is Croquet, bringing me to my bed and then calling for an emergency helicopter to take me to Domino General." He looked puzzled and by this time had drawn the curtain of hair over the empty eye socket.

"Max?" Lisa asked.

"Yes, Lisa girl?"

"Have you considered a prosthetic? Or an eye patch if you're self-conscious?"

"It's been so easy while I've been healing to keep the hair over the spot, I guess I hadn't thought about it. Why do you ask?" She moved close to him, brushing the hair away. She looked at his face without revulsion, easily imagining how it had been before what had happened.

"You shouldn't hide your face. I've seen too many people make that mistake. Do you know how many kids here tried to hide their faces because of burns? Quite a few. You shouldn't hide yours."

The group was looking at Lisa in surprise. "I've watched a lot of kids come through here and through Seattle Children's. They've been teased for different reasons, and we have to try and make them feel better. One kid was teased because she'd gone bald from cancer treatments, so the boys shaved their heads and the girls grew their hair long, cut it short and donated it to Locks of Love. That little girl felt so much better after that, and when she came back to school, no one dared tease her. So Max, don't hide. What can I do to help you so you don't hide your face?" she asked, smiling kindly.

Max looked surprised. _They actually forgive me? What is this that they'd forgive me after what I did?_

"Max, my grandpa taught me to forgive people," Yugi answered to his unspoken thoughts. "I can kind of read your mind now, but that was a surface thought. I won't go in where you don't want me to be," the boy concluded.

"You can read my thoughts?" Max Pegasus asked, a bit shocked. "Of course you can. I guess I didn't think; but I should realize that if you all have that talent, Yugi boy. Lisa girl, I believe I'd like an eye patch."

"All right," she said, grinning. She walked over to the door, opened it and stuck her head out. Sure enough… "Hiro? Dr. Misawa!" she called. Hiro Misawa was down the hall and came down, his medical bag in hand. "Glad I caught you!"

"What is it, Lisa?"

"Do you have any eye patches with you?"

"Of course. Plain black or Funny Bunny?"

"Uh, give me one of each. I'd like the person to decide." Hiro gave her the patches and she thanked him. She walked back in the room while Hiro continued his rounds. "Here we are," she said happily. "Which one would you like, Max?"

"Could I have them both? I can't wear Funny Bunny to meetings, but I'd sort of like to wear it around the house. The black one looks really nice, too."

Lisa smiled. "All right, then. Let's put the black one on you, then, Max." She moved his hair back and put the eye patch into position, tying it on securely. "There you are." She helped him to the bathroom where he could look in the mirror. "What do you think, Max?"

"I think I look like a pirate," he said, smiling a little.

"Definitely a gentleman pirate," the teen doctor answered, smiling too. He walked out the bathroom and everyone clapped enthusiastically. Pegasus, in his silk pajamas and robe, bowed politely.

"Thank you, everyone. So, now that this is done, I'm afraid I haven't been properly introduced," he said, looking at Serenity and Elizabeth. "I am Maximilian Pegasus and you are..?"

"I'm Elizabeth Wheeler and this is my daughter, Serenity," Elizabeth said as Max shook her hand. He shook Serenity's hand as well.

"So this is the young lady Joseph was fighting for so fiercely," Max said. "You know how lucky you are to have a brother like Joey, don't you?"

Serenity nodded. "Yes, I do, sir. He told me all about Duelist Kingdom and I found out he dueled one of his best friends to win the prize money. And then Yugi gave him the money. So I'll be able to have my eyes fixed. The doctors are going to try something conventional soon. It'll buy me some time, but if it doesn't work, they'll have to do something later."

"That's wonderful, Serenity," Max said. "Elizabeth, you raised your son well. He's a very loving, caring boy."

"He is," Elizabeth said. Max thought about asking why Mai had been hospitalized, but wisely did not press.

"So you all have powers?" he asked instead.

"Yup. Just about everyone here has the abilities I do. The only difference between us is that they've been unaware of their gifts until fairly recently. It turns out, Max, that these guys have figured out their powers largely because of recent events," Lisa answered. "No one but me knows how to use their defensive capabilities just yet. I wanted to wait on teaching that because, for one thing, learning how to use certain protective abilities can be… dangerous."

"Dangerous? How so?"

"Well…"

Y

About six years earlier… "Lisa, we'll be having dinner in an hour!"

"Okay, Mom!" Lisa yelled back. "I'm working on something for my Jedi training!"

"Be careful, sweetheart!" Lisa was in her bedroom, as her mother was fixing dinner.

"I will!" Lisa took a deep, cleansing breath and raised her physical shielding. She had been working on it for some time, and it wasn't very strong yet. A barrage of water balloons could break it easily if Lisa wasn't concentrating, but she was getting better. _Raise shields,_ she commanded herself. Just then, her bedroom door opened.

"Lisa, could I borrow your..?" Eddie asked, and his sister turned. The protective shield she'd raised became like a large hand and pushed her brother into the wall of the hallway. "Were you busy?" he asked, sitting up a bit stunned.

"Oops," Lisa said, embarrassed.

Y

"…So it can be kind of dodgy when you're training," Lisa concluded, flushing at the memory of her bemused fourteen-year-old brother. "That's why I've wanted everyone in a good mental state before we begin the more difficult defensive training. You all remember how difficult it was when we practiced our flying leaps, right?" The people who'd undergone that training nodded. "Then learning to raise physical shields and do Jedi Strike is quite a bit harder. At first, you have to use a lot of concentration to do it right and even then, it's weak. But as soon as you're physically strong enough, Joey and Mokuba, we'll begin working on some of the defenses. Max…"

"Yes, Lisa girl?" Max looked at her curiously.

"I'm going to ask you the same question I asked everyone here about a month ago. Have you ever had a psychic experience?"

Max nodded. "With the Millennium Eye, I could read people's minds. And before that, I felt drawn to Egypt, and before that, I felt I could read my wife's thoughts. Why?"

"Let me scan you. You are genuinely sorry for your past actions and I believe you may be ready to train with us as a Jedi."

Max's good eye widened. "A Jedi? Me?! Lisa girl, are you serious? And aren't I too old for the training?" he asked, smiling. She shook her head and scanned him. Unlike with Bakura, she could sense no problems within Max that would make her question his status to be trained.

"You can begin training with us, if you'd like, Max." He liked that very much.

Y

An hour later, Max Pegasus was able to read his fellow Jedi and the people around him, as his fellow Jedi were able to read him. "This is amazing!" he said excitedly. "I can sense all of you! So I can talk to all of you?"

"You can," Lisa answered. "Oh, would you like to stay for a while longer, Max? Mokie's getting his casts off and tomorrow he's going to try to walk for the first time in a month. If Mokuba's okay tomorrow, he'll get to come home with us on Monday."

"That's wonderful. Hold on, are you…living together?" Max had to admit he was surprised at this development. _Seto doesn't seem the type to live with a girl before…._

"We're living in the same house, but we haven't done anything, so get your mind out of the gutter," Seto said clearly. "Remember to shield your thoughts better. That happens a lot in the group if we don't have our shields up."

"I understand, Seto boy. So what are we doing now? It seems like you're waiting to do something."

The blue-eyed teen CEO looked at his fiancée and nodded. "We'll be getting Mokuba's casts off in a few minutes," Lisa said, "and then we'll take him down to the therapy pool to relax his legs. Would you like to stay for a little bit?"

"Only if it's not a problem," Max said. And so he stayed as Lisa got Mokuba's final set of casts off.

"Ewww, my legs are all nasty!" Mokuba said, smiling. "Lisa, they look shrunk."

"They're going to look that way, sweetheart," his future sister-in-law answered, "because you haven't used them in about a month. The muscles are atrophied."

"Huh?" Mokuba asked, not quite understanding.

"It means your muscles haven't been used for awhile, Mokie, so they've gotten smaller," Seto explained. "So what now, babe?"

"Mokuba, I'm going to take you down to the therapy room and get your legs cleaned off. Then we'll let you in a therapy pool where you'll get to stretch your legs a bit. Then tomorrow, you can try taking a few steps. He needs to flex the muscles, honey, and when I've got Mokie settled, I'll have George or one of the other nurses come and get you, okay?" Seto nodded, and hugged his love, then his brother.

"You two have fun," he said, his expression neutral. Lisa picked Mokuba up and carried him out of the room.

"He's got something on his mind," Lisa commented as she carried her future brother-in-law to an elevator.

"Yeah, big sister, he does. I think it's about you. Hey, can't I try to walk now?" Mokuba asked as he sat in Lisa's surprisingly strong arms.

"Not yet, sweetie. You need to get your legs stretched a bit and I don't want to chance you hurting yourself while they're really, really weak." They got on the elevator and rode to the therapy room floor. Mokuba was largely quiet while his future big sister cleaned his legs off (which had a lot of dead skin on them after being in casts for so long). She undressed him and got him into some clean swim trunks, then took him to a therapy tub.

"This feels really nice, Lisa," Mokuba said as she set him into the bubbly tub. "Thanks, big sister. Hey, can Seto come down?"

"Yup. I'll get someone to go get him, honey." She called to a nurse who headed up to the room.

Meanwhile, everyone chatted back in Mokuba, Joey and Mai's room. "So, you've been engaged for about a week now, Seto?" Max Pegasus asked.

"Yes and I wanted to ask you something, Max," Seto said. Max nodded. "I need a new card back and a card locket."

Max's eye widened in understanding. "You want her to truly be part of the family, don't you?"

"She's going to be my wife…I think sooner rather than later. If she's okay with it, I'd like her to be able to wear it on Monday. If that's not possible…"

"Croquet!" Max called and his personal guard came into the room.

"Yes, sir?"

"Call over to Industrial Illusions headquarters. I'd like you to have someone bring the following items…" Max told the gray-haired man what he wanted, and Croquet nodded.

"I'll do it right away, sir."

"Thank you, Croquet. It's so strange to sense what he's feeling again," Max said when the security man left.

"Tell me about it," Seto said, and then his attention perked up. "Someone's coming." Sure enough, a nurse came to tell Seto to come down to the therapy room to be with his future wife and little brother. "Thank you, Max," he said as he left.

Maximilian Pegasus had a wistful smile on his face as the teen CEO left. Yugi looked at his former enemy thoughtfully. "Max?"

"Yes, Yugi boy?"

"Tell us about Cecelia." Max smiled and told them about the great love of his life. Meanwhile, Seto James Kaiba headed down to the therapy room and straight to his love and his brother. The three of them hugged as Mokuba sat in the bubbling pool, warmed by the water and the love of his brother and soon-to-be sister-in-law.

_Well, this chapter was decidedly fluffy and there wasn't a lot of action. Max Pegasus no longer has his Millennium Eye and no one knows who took it (except the dark Bakura, who the good Bakura doesn't seem to be aware of right now). But he has apologized to the gang, and everyone has accepted the apology. Next time, Max will apologize to Yugi's grandpa, Mai will leave the hospital and Mokuba will walk again! Read and review, everyone!_


	34. First Steps

Chapter XXVIII: First Steps

_Welcome back, everyone! I'm terribly sorry it took a while to update. Helping to care for one's niece can make a fan fiction writer not be able to update quickly. Thanks for your quick reviews! Max Pegasus is now…an ally?! Wow. Thanks to my reviewers, Invader101, Fleeting Illicit Delicious and syrusfanatic12. Reviews are always appreciated!_

_Recap: Pegasus finally apologized for what he did at Duelist Kingdom and due to their Jedi abilities, our heroes could tell he was genuinely sorry and telling them the truth. Yugi and Mai revealed to Pegasus that they are brother and sister, and Seto and Lisa revealed they're getting married. Mokuba got his casts off and got a trip to the therapy room where he got a chance to strengthen his legs. So what's next?_

_Disclaimer: Peach Wookiee doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh._

_**Author's notes, a few years later: **__I did some selective trimming, but nothing that changes the course of the story. Also, the section divisions and dream sequence have been altered._

After spending a few minutes in the therapy pool and having his legs massaged, Mokuba Richard Kaiba was carried back to his hospital room in his brother's strong arms. "Hey, guys?"

"Yeah, Mokie?" Seto asked as they walked out of the therapy room, Mokuba dressed in a new pair of clean pajamas.

"Are you really taking Mai home with you?"

"Yeah, we are, kiddo. Oh, and Mokuba? I wanted to ask you something, and you too, Leese." They both looked at him and nodded. "I just talked to Max a little bit ago, and he'll be getting a new card back and locket. Leese, you're a member of the Kaiba family now, and until now, only Mokuba and I have worn these lockets," he said, holding up his locket and opening it with one hand, revealing the picture of four-year-old Mokuba. Mokuba opened his locket too, looking at the picture of his big brother when Seto was much younger. "What I wanted to ask, first, Mokie, is if it's okay to change the pictures."

Mokuba looked at his brother appraisingly for a moment. "You mean, so we have pictures that show you, me and Lisa?" Seto nodded, relieved that his brother understood. Mokuba smiled. "I'm okay with that 'cause you're my big sister now, Lisa."

Lisa grinned. "I'm glad you're okay with that, sweetie. So what do you want to ask me, Seto?"

"Well, babe, I was wondering if you'd be okay with wearing the locket on Monday if we have it fixed by then. That'll be as good as announcing our engagement, so would you want to do that?"

"I'm game if you are, but when do we get married? The press will want to know and then."

Seto somehow got her into a hug. "We don't have to tell them when we're getting married if we don't want to, babe. Mokie just gets to be the best man. Hopefully, you'll be walking by that time, kid."

Mokuba looked at his brother. "Seto, are you thinking of getting married sooner rather than later?" The couple looked at each other, mental communication lasting less than two seconds.

"Sooner," they said together. "Mokie, I think we may do it two weeks from now," Seto continued. "Leese, what do you think about October eleventh?"

Lisa smiled at her love's mention of a specific date. "Is there special significance to this date, honey?"

"Well, it's two weeks before my birthday and that way, I won't forget our anniversary," Seto answered. "Is that all right?"

"Can you find a judge that quick?" Mokuba looked at Lisa in surprise when she said that.

"I thought you guys would want to get married in a church, big sister. Why do you want a judge?"

"Mokuba," Lisa answered, "I was thinking that a wedding is about two people bringing their lives together and celebrating that. The last thing we need on our day is a bunch of flashbulbs and people looking for us to behave a certain way. All I need on our wedding day is your brother. I don't need a big wedding or all the folderol. Okay?" The little boy nodded, understanding.

"The press can be a pain. But we've gotta deal with them on Monday, don't we?"

"We do, kiddo," Seto answered. "But we don't have to tell them about Leese and me getting married until after it happens, okay? Monday will be about you and Joey getting out of here. We want you two leaving the hospital and it being your thing together."

Mokuba nodded again. "Big brother?"

"Yeah, Mokie?"

"Doesn't being the best man mean I get to plan the bachelor party?"

Seto flushed slightly. "Yes, Mokuba, but what do you want to do?"

"Could we just have pizza, watch movies and maybe go to the Fun Center?" The Domino Fun Center had bumper cars, mini-golf and other fun activities. Seto was relieved that his little brother was thinking along these lines for the party.

"Mokie, that would be a great bachelor party. What kind of movies shall we watch?"

"Whatever you want, bro. But we're all under eighteen, remember?" Mokuba said with a wicked grin.

"Mokuba Richard Kaiba," Seto said, looking at his brother sternly. "You'd better not know about what I think you know about and no, I am not asking you," he said pointedly. Wisely, Mokuba kept his thoughts open, revealing that he only knew how to make a naughty joke. "Guess you don't know, and I'm glad. You're too young, squirt," he said, ruffling the boy's hair.

Meanwhile, back in the hospital room, Max Pegasus found himself just talking with the kids and Joey's mother. "Young Joseph surprised me, Elizabeth. Did you know he went up against duelists with a great deal more experience than he had?" Elizabeth shook her head. "He fought against a duelist that I now know was a cheater and despite that, Joey won. That duelist was rather mean, you know."

"I'm sure he was," Elizabeth said, "but…"

"Mom, he was packin' heat," Joey said, shuddering slightly at the memory, "and he wanted to take what he couldn't get by cheatin'. Mai, you didn't see it," he continued, noticing his girlfriend's eyes wide with concern. "Anyway, Max used a trap door and Keith went down. Don't know where he ended up."

"You've seen a few of the older cartoons, haven't you, Joey boy? Like Wile E. Coyote?"

Joey suddenly grinned. "He ended up in the ocean, didn't he? Oh, **man**!" The blonde boy started laughing, but remembered not to laugh too hard lest he hurt himself. He was a little winded when he stopped laughing, but he was better than he had been. "So what happened to him?"

"Well, I'm not sure, exactly. But he was spotted recently in Egypt, apparently. So I don't have to worry about a lawsuit. Pity certain things in cartoons don't work well in real life," Pegasus said. Everyone who'd watched cartoons laughed at this. "Anyway, no real harm done. Your young man here, Mai, would've probably tried to defend everyone."

"He does that," Mai said, smiling at her boyfriend. Then her expression darkened. Max caught it.

"Did something happen at Duelist..? Oh, Panik happened, is that right?" Mai nodded. Max sighed and said, "I'm sorry he scared you so badly. Did he hurt you?"

"He grabbed me…but it wasn't…" Mai started to shake, and Max caught the real panic in her emotions.

"Mai…oh, my, someone hurt you."

She nodded. "The man I once called father." Yugi was sitting next to her and gripped her hand tightly, knowing his sister needed him. "He raped me when I was twelve."

Max was stunned. "So Panik grabbing you…"

"Yeah. He scared her," Yugi said, becoming a bit angry. "Max, he was sadistic! He really liked the pyrotechnics and he tried to kill me and everybody else, too! Did you know he was like that?"

"Yugi boy, eliminators are hired to be intimidating. But I would never hire someone—with the obvious exception of my bodyguards—that I knew would intentionally hurt someone," Pegasus said. "What happened, exactly, in your duel with him? We saw he lost the duel and we lost contact. When I sent people out in the morning, they found what was left of him."

"Well, he said he was going to 'eliminate' me, so he turned on the pyrotechnics. He fell off the platform," Yugi answered, shuddering a little. "I was attached to the platform, so I couldn't move, and the Puzzle protected me and everybody."

"Oh. Well, that's good, Yugi boy. So you didn't have a good home life, did you, Mai?" She shook her lovely blonde head.

"It only looked like it on the outside. I would much rather have had no money and a family that actually loved me than what I had." She sighed and squeezed her brother's hand. "Just because a cage is pretty doesn't mean it isn't still a cage."

"That's true, Mai," Max said softly. "But it seems you were in a worse trap than I ever was. My father wasn't sure what to make of a son who wanted to paint all the time and thought I'd never make a career of it, but I did. He forbade me at first, but realized it would be like denying a bird his song. So he let me try my skills, and I did well. I sold at an art show and then later, of course, Duel Monsters hit it big. So Dad has been very proud of me and very much enjoyed his retirement that his son has provided. For a while, I thought I was trapped, but I definitely wasn't. I'm sorry you went through what you did, Mai, and I am so sorry that my hiring someone led to you reliving something so horrible. And Yugi boy, I'm sorry I put you and your family through such grief."

Yugi nodded, again accepting the apology, as his sister did. And then everyone sensed the happy soon-to-be family returning. Tristan walked to the door and opened it, so the three could come into the room easily. Seto carried Mokuba over to the twin bed and laid the small boy down, making him comfortable. "I'm going to try walking again," the small boy said happily, "and if anybody wants to come tomorrow, I'd be glad if you did. Even you, Max." Pegasus, of course, gladly accepted the invitation.

"Yugi boy, will your grandfather be coming here today?"

Yugi nodded. "Yeah. Why?"

"I need to ask his forgiveness as well. I can't just leave it with you, Yugi boy. I want to apologize personally." Max sighed. "It's something that I have to do myself and can't do by proxy."

"Okay, Max." Yugi granted him another soft, innocent smile. "So everything went okay?" he asked Lisa and the Kaiba brothers.

"Yeah, it went fine," Lisa answered.

The group talked pleasantly for a little while, and then Yugi sensed his grandfather's approach. "Grandpa's coming," he said. Everyone could sense Max's nervousness.

_I was evil. What kind of man would kidnap an old man and a little boy, take his brother and then try to murder another boy? How do I apologize for this? Where do I begin?_ Max Pegasus asked himself.

Yugi swallowed. _I'm going to help._

_Yugi, are you sure? You don't have to help him, aibou,_ Yami sent to his partner.

_I'd want somebody to help me, Yami,_ Yugi sent clearly, and then sent to Max, _Don't worry. We already told him about what we read in your diary so he knows why you did it, Max. So just tell him you're sorry and it'll be okay. _Max looked at the small teen boy with a soft smile.

_Thanks, Yugi boy._ And then Solomon Muto arrived.

"Hello, everybody. Pegasus?!" he asked, very surprised.

"It's okay, Grandpa," Yugi said. "He's here to tell you something. You might want to sit down first, though." Solomon nodded and walked over to the chair next to his granddaughter's bed. He gave her a big hug first and his grandson as well.

"All right, Pegasus, what have you come to tell me?" he asked softly, sensing with his new abilities that the younger man was not here to harm anyone.

Max got up from his seat and knelt prostrate before the old man. "I wanted to say that I'm sorry for taking you from your grandson, and hurting him, inadvertently hurting your granddaughter and every horrible thing I've done to you and yours. I hope you can forgive me, but I'll understand if you wish to hate me completely for the rest of your life." There was no doubting that he was really sorry for all that he'd done.

Solomon Muto could've been bitter about all that had occurred, but as Yugi had said before, Solomon had taught forgiveness. And he gave it. "Over twelve years ago, Pegasus, a drunk driver took my son and my daughter-in-law. I didn't find out her exact circumstances until fairly recently, but I forgave that girl. I learned long ago that bitterness serves you nothing, and I didn't want Yugi to be raised thinking that holding onto things was the way to go. And so I forgave that girl. And now…I forgive you, young man. Get up. You came to ask forgiveness and you received it without condition." Pegasus got up.

"Thank you, sir, and please call me Max. Mr. Muto, thank you. And I must say you have two very wonderful grandchildren. I think they get their courage from you. And I certainly see the resemblance now." Solomon smiled.

"I thought I only had a grandson, but I'm glad to have a sweet granddaughter as well." Mai smiled at this, but swallowed. Everyone sensed what was going through her mind and sure enough, they were correct.

"Max, I think I need to tell you the whole thing…" And so, with her friends and family around her, Mai Valentine told Max Pegasus of how she came into this world. "…And that, as they say, is that. I think Yugi's right when he says our dad would've fought to have me. Yugi and I would've grown up together and I think it would've been great."

Max's features softened. "I didn't read your mind to find out what drove you to duel. And I didn't check for your life story. But from what I know now, Mai, you rose above what was and have become better than how you were raised. Money isn't everything and it doesn't make you better than other people."

"You said it all, Captain Obvious," Joey said, laughing a little, then sobering. He got out of bed and walked over to Mai. He sat down and gave her a gentle hug. "You okay, babe?" he asked softly. She nodded.

The group talked for quite a while and Max agreed to return the next day to help cheer Mokuba on. "I'll be here. Just call Croquet," he said, indicating his trusted head of security. Croquet nodded, then pulled something from his jacket.

"Sir, this arrived from Industrial Illusions half an hour ago," he said and handed his boss the box. "This is the item Mr. Kaiba requested." Max took it from his employee's hands and handed it to Seto.

"Here you are, young man. I wish you both many years of happiness," the card designer and CEO said, smiling. Lisa looked at Seto with a smile and he imperceptibly nodded.

"Well, if you're out of the hospital, we'd love it if you'd come to the wedding, Max," Lisa said.

Everyone was looking at them now. "You kids decided on a date?" Elizabeth Wheeler asked, a bit surprised.

"We did, and it's in two weeks," Seto said, putting an arm gently around his beloved. "It's going to be really quiet, and I'm going to find a judge to marry us. We'll do a reception with just family and friends, and Max, if you're able, you can come. Just don't bring the press."

"You have my word," Max said. And with that, he headed back to Domino General. "Croquet?"

The security man looked at his boss and friend. "Yes, sir?"

"I'll need to find a wedding present. And let's make sure I'm out of the hospital fairly soon, shall we?" Croquet nodded, a small smile visible below his mustache.

Meanwhile, Zelda Goodwin had returned to the room. Today she was dressed in a simple track suit, not unlike the one Mai would soon be wearing. "I just wanted to check how you were doing before we discharged you, Mai. Is everything okay?"

"It's getting easier," the blonde girl answered. "I mean…none of it will ever be easy, knowing what happened, even how I got here, but…" She paused and looked around at her friends, boyfriend, brother and grandfather. "But I'm not facing it alone anymore. So I guess I'll keep seeing you, then?"

"You bet," Zelda answered, smiling. "It'll be a while before you'll see less of me, but you'll see me a few times a week at first here. Where are you staying tonight?"

"The Kaiba mansion. Liz and Serenity are there, and Lisa is, too. Is that good?"

"That's great," Zelda answered. "Lisa, you know how to get hold of me if you need to." Lisa nodded. Zelda said good-bye and left.

"So I need to get dressed?" Mai asked. Lisa nodded.

"Yeah. If you're ready to get out of here, that is. You don't have to face the press yet. They know what'll happen if they cross us." Everyone knew what that meant. "I'm still getting used to the fact that my fiancé has that kind of power. Even the press quakes in fear," she said with a slightly naughty smile on her face.

"You really enjoy this, don't you?" Mai wondered.

"Well, I am now!"

Mai headed into the bathroom and got out of her pajamas. She pulled on a fresh bra and panties, and then got on some deodorant. Then she pulled on her pants and a pair of socks, then a white t-shirt and the jacket. She then pulled on a pair of sneakers, tied them, and then brushed her hair and put on some make-up. She looked at herself in the mirror and swallowed a little nervously. _I have to deal with this, but how can I? Girl, get a hold of yourself! You're not alone and you'll be all right this time. No one's going to hurt you! _She'd raised her shields so no one could hear her thoughts, but that didn't mean they couldn't sense her emotions.

"You okay, Mai?" Joey asked as she emerged from the bathroom. He was standing close to the door and pulled her into a hug. She felt two other pairs of arms, that of her grandfather and her brother, hugging her as well. She nodded and relaxed in their hugs.

"Thanks, guys. I'll be okay," she answered. "I guess I'm still getting used to people not being out to hurt me." She gave a slightly nervous smile. "Do…do I look all right?" She stepped back. Joey nodded appreciatively, Yugi nodded, smiling and Solomon said something that Mai would forever remember as the moment she truly became part of the Muto family.

"Honey, I think you look a lot like David did, but I see some of your Grandma Sophie in you as well. She had your face shape and mouth shape too."

"Really, Grandpa?" she asked.

"Really, really, sweetheart," he answered, hugging her again. "Are you sure you don't want to stay with us tonight, Mai?"

"I'm sure, Grandpa. I…I'm just not ready to stay with you and Yugi yet. But…maybe later," she said softly. He nodded, understanding. And so he and Yugi said their goodbyes to granddaughter and sister in the hospital room. Mai said goodbye to everyone else, and as it was getting into the evening, she, Lisa, Seto, Elizabeth and Serenity left the hospital. The press attempted to get close, but Seto's security team held them off. The group of five got into the car and left Domino Children's Hospital.

"I'm glad that part's over," Mai said, looking out the back window. "Are they usually that aggressive?"

"Sometimes, they're worse," Seto answered. "When Lisa and I went out publicly, they were pretty aggressive. I had my people inform them to back off. They're on notice when it comes to people coming to and leaving the hospital that they can't get close. Of course they won't be held off forever, and eventually, we'll all have to talk to them, but you don't have to yet. And neither will your brother or your grandfather." Mai nodded.

"Lisa, how have you gotten used to it?" she wondered.

"I haven't, really, but at the moment, I'm just using a lot of deep breathing exercises," the blue-eyed girl admitted. "I don't know if I'll ever be used to it, but I think together we can handle it."

"You're the eternal optimist, aren't you, babe?" Seto asked, right eyebrow raised.

"You bet, honey," she answered, laughing a little. "So what do we want to do for dinner, guys?"

Serenity and Elizabeth looked at Mai, who thought a moment. "Um… Could we get sushi? That sounds good after all that hospital food." The others looked at each other and nodded. And after a quick phone call, the group went to Tsunami Sushi and Seto ran in to pick up the order. He picked up the food and got back in the limousine before the press could get close.

"Guys, I had an idea," Lisa said as they drove away.

"Yeah, Lisa?" Serenity asked.

"Why don't we go get our pajamas on before we eat dinner and then watch a movie?" It was 7:30 in the evening, and it seemed like a good idea. They arrived at the mansion about 7:45 and got out of the car. Mai stared up at the mansion and pulled her arms around herself. "It's all right, Mai," the young doctor said softly.

"I haven't been in a house this big since just after… they died." Everyone understood, and Serenity gripped Mai's hand to reassure her. The group of five headed into the mansion together.

Everyone went to their rooms to get pajamas on. Lisa gave her fiancé time to dress and busied herself getting plates, cups and chopsticks and heated up some tea as well. Seto came down to the kitchen, dressed in a pair of dark blue pima cotton pajamas, while the Wheeler women and Mai went to the media room.

"Leese, go get yourself ready. I'll take some stuff to the media room," he said. "You look tired." She smiled tiredly.

"Honey, I'm okay. I'll make it through a movie. I'll be down in a few." She left the kitchen with a smile. Seto picked up a tray with a full teapot, cups and chopsticks when he heard footsteps.

"Hello, Seto," Elizabeth Wheeler said, clad in a pair of cream silk pajamas. "Could I give you a hand, dear?"

"Um… okay. I guess I can't handle the sushi tray without a second set of arms," he admitted, "but I don't want you to do it because you think you have to."

"Seto, right now, I don't think I'm your secretary. I'd rather just be your friend's mom, if that's all right."

"I can handle that," he answered, and together they took the trays into the media room. "I'm used to having people do this, but Lisa pointed out I could do it when there isn't a lot to bring."

"I think she's not used to it, is she?"

"No. She grew up kind of like I did, but she's had the same parents since she was six weeks old. If my dad hadn't…" Seto paused a moment, then continued, "Anyway, we would've both grown up in homes where we weren't waited on." They carried the trays in and set them on a low table. Mai was sitting on the couch with Serenity, chatting. Mai was dressed in purple silk pajamas, while Serenity was in dark red silk pajamas.

"Hey, guys. Where's Lisa?" Mai asked, looking up. "Any ideas for movies?"

"I had some, but I think I'll let you girls pick," Seto answered. They chatted for a few minutes and then Seto decided to go check on Lisa. "I'll be right back." He took a deep breath as he left the room and reached out to Lisa. _Babe? Lisa? Are you okay?_ He could sense her in the mansion and knew that she was in their bedroom, but she wasn't answering him. He broke into a run and headed up the stairs and down the hall. The bedroom door was open and he quickly moved into the room. "Leese?" he called softly and noticed she was lying on their bed, dressed in blue Asian brocade pajamas, accented with butterfly designs. She was sound asleep. "You go ahead and rest. You deserve it." He opened the bed and got her into it. He tiptoed out of the room and back downstairs.

"Seto, where's Lisa?" Serenity asked as the teen CEO reentered the media room. "Is she okay?"

"She's all right. She's just exhausted. She fell asleep and I'm not going to wake her. Why don't you guys pick a movie and enjoy it? Have a girls' night," he said. Elizabeth and the two teen girls nodded, and picked up their plates.

"We'll take these to the kitchen. Why don't we go up to our room and get in that big bed and have our movie night up there, girls?" Elizabeth asked. The girls agreed to that, and so the three females headed up to their room to watch _Ever After: A Cinderella Story_ (the movie was Mai's pick).

Meanwhile, Seto headed up to his and Lisa's room. He got into bed next to her, looking at the peaceful face he'd fallen in love with. _She's the first one and the only one,_ he thought. And he remembered something that had happened a few years before on a day he'd begun to doubt that there was a God….

Y

Not quite four years earlier, twelve-year-old Seto limped into his bedroom, aching. Fortunately, Gozaburo wasn't drunk… _At least he didn't decide to go after me tonight._ The boy shuddered at the thought. He'd made Gozaburo very angry because he, Seto, had messed up on a single question on his Asian history exam; specifically, Seto had missed a question regarding how World War II in Asia had started.

"I don't tolerate failure, Seto. You can't take over Kaiba Corp if you make mistakes," Gozaburo had said coldly after the tutor had left. He had cruelly grabbed the small boy by the collar. The beating lasted for fifteen minutes, and the monster had done it to cause pain and draw blood, but not to break bones. It was after midnight now, and Seto hoped that Mokuba hadn't heard his big brother screaming.

"Why?" the boy now whispered. "Why does he hate me so much?" Even at his worst, Richard Delaney had never been cruel or abusive to Seto and Mokuba. The man, while neglectful and emotionally abusive in his final acts on this planet, had never tried to physically harm his boys. But Gozaburo Kaiba was, in Seto's eyes, the devil incarnate. Seto pulled off his pants so his blood wouldn't damage the khaki fabric. The boy looked at the welts, bruises and cuts on his back and suddenly felt pain and rage beyond what he thought was possible.

"Why," he asked, looking upward, "why did You let us be adopted by that thing? Why couldn't You have sent a mom and dad that would take us and love us both? Why couldn't he love us?" Seto felt anger at God, and this was the moment when he began to truly doubt God's existence. "If You're a merciful God, then why aren't You helping Mokie and me get away from him? Why are we even here? If You're even there, prove it. When I start really liking girls, let the first one I really date be the one I'm going to marry. I want to know when I see her that she's the one. So prove to me that You're there. Otherwise, this one-sided conversation was pointless." Seto took a deep breath and limped over to his pajama drawer. If God existed and He was indeed merciful, He would've delivered the two boys from this hell by now….

Y

Seto looked at the young woman sleeping next to him. _I knew she was the one the moment she walked into my office. And You brought her into my life and Mokie's. _Seto wasn't a praying man, but right now, he was. He cuddled a little closer to her and fell asleep.

Y

The next morning, Seto woke up, a little bit disoriented. He'd had a dream, but it wasn't about that mysterious girl with the white-blonde bluish hair. Instead, he'd been following a pretty woman with raven hair and then she had sprouted angel's wings. She turned around, and Seto saw his mother for the first time in many years. She only said a few words, but they were what he'd hoped his mother would say to him. "I am so proud of you and you have done well with Mokuba. I love you both so much." The dream faded out after that, but Seto remembered the dream when he woke up. _Thanks, Mom_. He got up quietly so he wouldn't wake Lisa, went into the bathroom and got his shower. He got himself cleaned up and dressed, then headed downstairs.

"Good morning, Marie," he greeted the cook, Marie, a heavy-set, short gray-haired Italian-American woman.

"Good morning, Mr. Kaiba. I made some things for breakfast for you and your guests," she greeted in return in a deep alto voice. "How's Mokuba doing?"

"He's going to try to walk today. With any luck, he'll be home tomorrow. He's been asking for your chocolate mousse, but Lisa and I have made him wait. All the medication he's been on has made his tummy a little temperamental. But I think he'll be okay for it tomorrow after he comes home."

"I'll have some ready for him," Marie promised. "How's Lisa?"

"Still sleeping. Have the Wheelers and Miss Valentine been down yet?" And then he heard footsteps.

"Morning, Seto," Elizabeth greeted, Serenity and Mai right on her heels. "Oh, is breakfast already fixed?"

"Yes, Mrs. Wheeler," Marie said. The women had already met.

"Marie, please go ahead and call me Elizabeth or Liz. We've been here long enough."

"All right, then," Marie said. "Are we waiting for Lisa, Mr. Kaiba?"

"Go ahead and eat, everyone," Seto answered. "Marie, you should call me Seto now. Call it a change in my policy toward the people who work for me," he added with a slight smile. "I want Lisa to sleep as long as she can. I think she's probably been worried about all of us. Between that and the nightmares she's had…Well, she's been really tired. She should wake up in a bit." And so they all sat and enjoyed a quick breakfast. Marie fixed a plate for Lisa and Seto took it up to the bedroom after he and the other girls finished breakfast.

Sure enough, when Seto returned to the bedroom at 9:30, Lisa had just awakened and was sitting up. "Morning, honey," she greeted softly as he came and gave her a soft kiss. "How long was I...?"

"About thirteen hours, Leese. I got a little worried when you didn't come back downstairs. You were sound asleep when I came up here."

"I just laid down for a minute. Guess I was more tired than I thought," she admitted. "Sorry if I scared you, Seto."

"It's all right. Here, I brought you breakfast," he said, setting down a tray with the breakfast and some juice. "Once we have our honeymoon, you're going to really relax."

"Only if you do."

"Deal. So do we want to go anywhere for our honeymoon?"

Y

After Lisa had eaten her breakfast and gotten dressed for the day, she, Seto, Mai, Elizabeth and Serenity went to the hospital. It was 11:15 and everyone else was there already. Everyone, that is, except for…

"Hey, where's Bakura?" Lisa asked. "Isn't he coming today?"

"I called over to his house. He said he's got a cold," Teá said. "We checked on him and he's got a nasty head cold. He didn't want to expose anyone to it. Yugi made him some chicken soup."

"Good deal, Teá. I can go check on him later," Lisa said. "So Mokuba, are you ready?"

Mokuba swallowed. "Um… I think I'm as ready as I'll ever be. Lisa, big brother…" The little boy's lower lip trembled. Everyone could sense he was scared. "What if I can't do it?"

Max Pegasus, also in the room now, smiled. "You'll do it, Mokuba. Goodness, until I had you chained up, you were quite able to get out of my castle without being detected through normal means. And from what I hear, you gave your brother's former board of directors a run for their money. So I'll bet you'll be able to walk today."

Mokuba regarded his former enemy for a moment. "You really mean that," he said. It wasn't a question. "Bro? Is he right?"

Seto nodded. "You'll do it, kiddo." And so the entourage headed down to the physical therapy room. George O'Malley carried Mokuba, as it was probably the last time the nurse would have to do it. Mai, dressed in jeans and a cherry red t-shirt and only wearing strawberry lip gloss, walked with Joey.

_Are you okay?_ she sent.

_Yeah, _Joey sent back. _I had a nightmare last night, but it wasn't bad compared to the other ones. I was able to take control. What about you?_

_I actually had a good dream last night…_

_Yeah?_

_Yeah._

Y

Mai was standing at Domino's Hannity's Point at sunset, the wind ruffling her long blonde hair. She drew her jacket around her, as the wind had a slight bite to it. And then she felt a pair of strong yet surprisingly gentle hands place a beat-up green jacket over her slim shoulders. "You cold?" Joey asked.

"A little," she admitted as she turned around to see Joey, whole and uninjured as he'd seemed to be at Duelist Kingdom. He spread out a warm brown polar fleece blanket on the ground and helped her sit down. He produced another blanket and then from out of nowhere, it seemed, he produced two steaming mugs of hot chocolate with whipped cream on the top, just the way Mai liked it.

"Here, this ought to take the chill off," he said, handing a steaming mug to her and getting the big blanket around them. "Better?" he asked as she leaned against him. She nodded. "Good view?" he asked as they looked out at the Pacific.

"Yeah, it's great."

Y

_That was the best dream I've had in a long time,_ she sent. _You're the first guy that's actually liked me for me. I don't feel afraid of you._ Joey blushed, and silently resolved to make Mai's dream come true when he was able.

Everyone went into the therapy room, and Nurse George O'Malley set Mokuba down at the end of a set of parallel bars. The others in the group stood at the other end of the bars. _Mokuba, you're going to be okay,_ Lisa and Seto sent to the little boy. The other teens and Jedi adults sent similar reassurances, but the raven-haired boy was still really nervous.

"I don't know if I can do this," Mokuba admitted, trembling a little bit now.

"Just take as many steps as you can, Mokuba, okay?" George said

"C'mon, Mokie! You can do it! Seto called out.

"C'mon, Mokuba," Pegasus added.

"C'mon, sweetheart! You can do it!" Lisa added. Mokuba got a very serious expression on his face and gripped the bars. His legs felt really shaky since they hadn't been used in almost a month, but he gritted his small teeth. _If I can make it across the bars, I can go home tomorrow. _He looked at the eighteen feet of parallel bars and thought he might not be able to walk the seemingly insurmountable distance. _I've gotta do what Seto would do,_ he thought. He met his brother's eyes and then his future sister's eyes. He gripped the bars and put his left foot in front of his right.

"C'mon, Moks, you can do it!" Joey called, clad in his green hospital issue pajamas, and then winced. His ribs, while healing, were still very tender. "Keep on goin'!"

"Got it!" the small boy answered. He kept walking, and stumbled only once before he made it to the other end of the bars and into his brother's arms. "I did it, big brother, I did it!"

"You sure did," Seto answered, hugging Mokuba close. The teen CEO had tears in his eyes as he pulled his fiancée into the hug. _I wasn't sure I'd see him walk again, _Seto sent to Lisa, _but he's going to be okay._

_Yeah, he is,_ she sent back, smiling, but also with the trace of tears. _He's almost there. We'll have him home tomorrow._

Joey, close to the scene, reached out and tousled the small boy's hair. "Glad to see you back on your feet, squirt!"

Mokuba craned his neck to look at his friends, including the one with blonde hair who had nearly died himself. "You too, Joey."

_And that's the end of Chapter 28! I hope it was worth the wait. With any luck chapter 29 won't be as long. Read and review, everyone! _


	35. Truth's Release

Chapter IXXX: Truth's Release

_Welcome back, fans of The Jedi League of Duelists! Welcome to new favorites person sweetchica55 and thanks to my reviewers, Fleeting Illicit Delicious, syrusfanatic12 and Invader101. And to those of you who are reading but not reviewing, thanks again for reading! If you feel so inclined to review, please review. _

_**Disclaimer: **__In another reality, I might own Yu-Gi-Oh. Sadly, this is not that reality._

_**Author's notes, some time later:**_Very minor changes made here.

Another day had passed for the Jedi teens, child and adults. Seto and Lisa said good-bye to Mokuba. "He'll be home with us tomorrow, honey," Lisa said, holding Seto's hand. "I wish we could bring him home with us tonight."

"Me too, Leese. Me too." Seto sighed softly and put his arm around his love. "Even with Elizabeth, the girls and you, it's so quiet without him. I didn't really think about it until I almost lost him." His voice went a little hoarse with this admission. "I've been a rotten brother."

"Seto…" Lisa chose her words very carefully. "You need to stop beating yourself up. Mokuba loves you and I love you. You aren't perfect, but who is? You love Mokuba and have done well with him, and I know you love me. So please stop torturing yourself," she said softly as they headed toward the doors to the front of the hospital.

"I'll…do it, somehow." He had started out thinking he'd say "try," but didn't want Lisa to quote Yoda again. He loved her dearly, but didn't want her quoting Yoda all the time. "I love you, Leese."

"Love you too, Seto." Together with their friends, they got into the limo. The press had flashbulbs, whirring cameras and yelled out questions. However, everyone seemingly ignored the press.

"They're going to go crazy when they find out, little brother," Mai said softly. Yugi gripped his sister's hand in response.

"We'll figure out how to handle it. Lisa, if you talk to the press tomorrow, will they ask about Mai? I mean…" Yugi looked a little nervous. "I mean, they'll want to know why she was in the hospital, right?"

"They will," Lisa answered, "but I can always say 'no comment.' But if you three would rather I said something, I can if you'll prepare a statement for me. I don't want to say anything you don't want me to say."

Solomon Muto nodded. "Thank you, Lisa. We'll think of something. Kids, we'll put our heads together and figure it out."

"Okay, Grandpa," Yugi and Mai said together.

After a brief silence, Seto said, "I was wondering if everyone would like to come over to the mansion for dinner. We can discuss what we have to do tomorrow. I'll send another limo for your parents, guys. That way everyone's involved in the planning. Is that all right?" Everyone nodded, and Seto made the necessary phone calls. "Do we need to make any additional stops?"

Solomon nodded. "I need to pick something up at home. Mai, you should see David as he was before Lisa tells the world about him. And it might help us make our statement." And so Seto gave the limo driver orders to go to Muto Games. Solomon got out of the car and headed inside. He returned a few minutes later with a beat up brown leather photo album. "Here we are. We'll look at it after dinner, all right you two?" The two Muto grandchildren nodded.

Lisa also insisted that she be allowed to check on Bakura. And so she went into Bakura's house, Teá, Tristan and Yugi on her heels. "Hey, Bakura, sorry to make you get out of bed," she said when he answered the front door. "How are you feeling?"

"A little bit better," he answered, sounding really stuffy, "but I'm still a bit under the weather. Thank you for coming, all of you. I hope it wasn't too much of a bother coming by here."

"Oh, no bother at all, Bakura. Is your dad still gone?" Teá asked as the four got the British blonde boy back to his bedroom.

"Yes, unfortunately. He's in south Afghanistan, studying the remains of those old Buddha statues." The kids helped Bakura get comfortable, getting him back to bed. Lisa offered to help him to the car so she could watch him overnight. "Oh, no. I'll be quite all right, Lisa," he reassured her. "I'll just enjoy this delicious chicken soup Yugi made for me and with any luck I'll be right as rain tomorrow or Tuesday. But I'll be certain to call you if I need assistance." With that, the kids said good-bye to Bakura, Lisa making a mental note to check on the boy tomorrow.

Wisely, Seto had told Marie, the cook, that there would be a lot of people for dinner and that he'd like the formal dining room set up. And so, when the group arrived, Marie ushered everyone into the huge room. Lisa actually hadn't been in the room before, so she was amazed when Seto walked her into the room.

"Oh, my," Lisa breathed in wonder. The dining room was a thing of beauty. There was a huge shiny oak table that was set currently for thirteen but could be set for up to 100 if extended. It was set with crystal goblets, fine silverware, white china edged in silver and blue napkins.

"Nice, babe?" Seto asked, smiling slightly. "I had Marie, Tzipporah and some of the other staff members do up this room extra nice."

"Honey, it's beautiful." Everyone else was having similar reactions.

"I feel like a princess," Serenity said, eyes wide. Mai, Yugi and Solomon just looked impressed.

"I totally could get used to this. Not every day, but…whoa," Teá said, looking a bit stunned. "Did you pick this, Seto?"

"Uh…yeah, actually," he admitted. "The decorator asked me to pick everything for this room. I take it that everyone likes it?" Several heads bobbed in approval. And then the group sat down to dinner. For a few minutes, everyone chatted about non-consequential matters, school, work and the like. Finally, as the group finished dessert, the conversation became serious.

"Um, Seto, what will happen tomorrow? I mean, how will everything happen?" Yugi asked nervously.

"I'll let Leese tell you, okay?" Seto answered, looking at his fiancée.

"Okay," Lisa said, "the plan is that we can either pick you guys all up and go to the hospital, or we could just pick you all up early and we could go out to breakfast. Then we could go to the hospital. After we're there, we'll go in, help the boys get ready and then we'll head out around noon. Then I'll make a statement to the press and we'll get out of there." She sighed thoughtfully. "I didn't think I'd be making my engagement announcement to the media at large. Oh, well."

Seto could tell she only meant that comment as just an observation. But he asked softly, "Are you okay with doing that, Leese?" She nodded, and squeezed his hand, smiling.

"So we have to get to work, don't we, kids?" Solomon asked his two grandchildren. Yugi and Mai nodded.

_Aibou, are you all right?_ Yami asked. Mai tilted her head. _Oh, sorry, Mai. Are you all right as well? I suppose I have to get used to the fact that you can hear me as well._

_I'm all right, Yami,_ Yugi sent.

_Me, too. Thanks, Yami…or should I say bro? _Mai sent back, smiling. "Let's do it, Grandpa," she said out loud. Everyone headed into the big family room (Tzipporah had built a fire as the end of September that year was chilly) and got comfortable. The Muto men and Mai settled at a spot on the floor near the fireplace. Solomon opened up the family album.

"Mai, this is a picture of my parents when they came from Japan. I was born here a few years after they arrived. Okaasan, my mother, and Papa learned to speak English fairly quickly and started a business. Your great-grandparents on the Muto side of the family were excellent pharmacists. When I was a boy, I played in the pharmacy." Solomon told Yugi and Mai both of how he went to museums when he was older and how he met their grandmother, Sophie Goldsmith.

"It was in the Great Depression that we met and so buying her a piece of five-cent candy was a huge deal. And then Pearl Harbor changed everything. Mama and Papa and I had to relocate. We went to the Minidoka internment camp in Idaho. I wasn't old enough to join the Army, but I wished I could. By the time I was old enough, the war was over, but one good thing was waiting for me when I left Minidoka… your grandmother." Solomon turned the page to see a pretty blonde woman with blue eyes standing next to a man with a white jacket and stethoscope and a woman in a dark blue dress.

"Is that Grandma Sophie?" Mai asked, seeing a definite resemblance between herself and the woman in the photo. "I always thought I looked like my mom, except for the eyes, but… Yugi, I look like Grandma!" she said, smiling happily.

"Yeah, you do," Yugi responded, also smiling. "I never knew her. She died two months before I was born." In response, Mai put her arm around her little brother. "Show us more, Grandpa," the boy said. Solomon turned a few more pages, showing the fateful trip to Egypt when he got the Millennium Puzzle and then…

"This is your father with his friends and associates at Thomas, Scalia and Taft, kids." Seto, lounging on the couch, Lisa leaning against him, sat up.

"Your dad worked at Thomas, Scalia and Taft?" When Yugi nodded, Seto got up from the couch and walked over to the amethyst-eyed family. "Could I see that picture, please?" Seto asked it almost as if he was in a trance. Solomon, Yugi and Mai made room for Seto to have a look. The picture showed David Muto (clearly distinguishable by his spiky tri-colored hair) standing in a group of lawyers.

Solomon, not entirely sure of what Seto was looking for, pointed out a young figure in the picture. "That was David's best friend at the firm, Rich. Rich got married just a little before David did, and Rich was David's best man. Rich's wife's sister's husband was best man at his wedding. His wife's name was Addy…Addison?"

"Her name was Adina," Seto said, looking at the picture, almost as if he'd seen a ghost. "Rich… was Richard James Delaney, my dad. My last name used to be Delaney. Aw, crap."

"What is it, Seto?" Yugi asked, puzzled, as his grandfather and sister looked puzzled as well.

"I have a feeling my father wouldn't be thrilled knowing that his son and his best friend's son were at each other's throats. I wonder why we never met," Seto said thoughtfully. Solomon, in response, turned the page. He showed a picture of Yugi's mom, a woman with pretty dark red hair and Adina Delaney. Adina was clearly close to the end of her term.

"This was September of 1987. I don't think your mother was pregnant with you yet, Yugi, but Seto, you were close to making your appearance in the world. I should've seen the resemblance. You look a lot like your father," Solomon said, smiling fondly.

Seto looked at the picture and then another that showed… "What the…?" The picture showed Adina holding a giggling baby Seto and Abby Muto holding a very tiny baby Yugi while their proud fathers looked on. There were other pictures of Yugi, but no more of him and Seto together. "No wonder we don't remember. We were both babies, Yugi, and you were really small."

"You were about three weeks old when that was taken, Yugi, so you were eight months old then, Seto," Solomon said. "You two just didn't spend a lot of time together because of your mothers' work schedules, but you probably would have, had things been different."

"I wish we'd known," Yugi said. "Maybe…"

"Maybe I wouldn't have been such a jerk, Yugi," Seto said. "You don't have anything to apologize for. I was the bully the whole time and I was… I'm doing it again, aren't I?" For Yugi was smiling wryly.

"I told you that you can stop apologizing now, Seto. Just because we found out our dads were friends doesn't take away from you already apologizing. You already did, so stop pounding yourself into the ground," the small teen said.

"I didn't do this before," Seto commented. "But I guess… apology is good for the soul." He said this looking at his fiancée. She only smiled.

Y

Finally, late in the evening, Yugi, Solomon and the other families headed for home. Seto, Lisa, Elizabeth, Serenity and Mai, though, headed to their rooms.

"Tomorrow's not going to be easy for any of us," Mai said as she got her pajamas on. "I know it's going to be hard for Grandpa and Yugi. Liz…Serenity…" The blonde girl started to shake a bit. Serenity and Liz hugged her, now both clad in their pajamas.

"It'll be okay, Mai. We'll be here with you and so will Yugi and your grandpa," Serenity said.

"Sweetie, we'll all be there when Lisa says what she has to, okay?" Liz added, squeezing Mai's hand.

"The truth has to be told…It's just going be so… painful," Mai admitted, "but there's no other way to do it. Our dad didn't have an affair with my mom and it'd be wrong to make people think he did, even to make me look better. I just hope…" She couldn't complete the thought. All the Wheeler women could do was comfort the blonde girl.

Meanwhile, down the hall, Seto smiled as he made a change to the locket he'd worn for almost three years. He'd brought Mokuba's locket home with him and Lisa tonight so he could change all three lockets at once. _And that's it,_ he thought as he made the final change. He lovingly placed the two halves of the copy of the picture of himself and Mokuba taken at the orphanage into an envelope and put it into his safe. Then he laid the lockets side by side on his bureau and laid the copies of the pieces of the new picture below each locket. The photo was of himself, Lisa and Mokuba that Joey had taken the day before he got hurt. Finally, the teen CEO gently placed each photo into each locket. "Lisa? Babe? Come here a minute, would you please?" He moved his locket and Mokuba's into velvet bags and placed them into the top drawer.

Lisa was in the bathroom and was getting ready for bed. "Coming, honey," she called sweetly. _What is he up to?_ But he was keeping his thoughts very guarded. "What is it?" she asked, coming out of the bathroom and into the bedroom.

"Could you sit down here?" he asked, indicating a chair next to the bureau. She did. "Close your eyes," he said softly. She did it and then he gently placed her locket around her neck. "You can open them now," he said and was delighted to see her smile when she saw the locket around her neck.

"Oh, honey, it's beautiful," she breathed.

"Open it," he said softly and she did. "What do you think?"

"Oh, this is the day before you proposed. Joey took this picture."

"Yeah. I think this is the moment you, Mokie and I really became a family and I wanted us to have a photo that reflected that. Good?" he asked. In response, she pulled him into a strong hug and kiss. "I take it that means it was very good," he said when they broke apart.

"You would be right," she answered. "And I'll be glad to wear it tomorrow, darling. It's not going to be easy tomorrow," she added, sighing sadly. "I wish it could be easier for Mai and Yugi." Seto knew the expression on Lisa's face now meant that she was more likely to wake up in the middle of the night with a nightmare.

"Babe, don't do this to yourself. You can't change what is, and it's better that the truth comes out. You're going to end up with a nightmare tonight if you don't relax. Why don't you lie down and I'll give you a backrub?"

She nodded. "You're right, Seto honey. And I think I'll take you up on that." He went and grabbed a jar of vanilla-scented body butter. She lay down across the huge bed, pulling her nightgown up off of her back so he could rub her easily. She shivered a little bit as the cold body butter made contact with her skin, but relaxed as Seto's warm hands rubbed it in. He lightly straddled her so he'd have an easier time rubbing her.

_Think unsexy thoughts, think unsexy thoughts, think unsexy thoughts,_ they both told themselves. "We're thinking the same thing," Lisa observed softly, her cheeks lightly pink.

"Yeah," Seto admitted, his voice sounding a bit constricted. "But we're going to wait, right?"

"We are. Besides, I…got my monthly visitor yesterday." She flushed a little deeper, as did Seto.

"You didn't say anything. You okay?" He sensed some discomfort from her.

"A little headache and some cramps. Oh, as soon as you're done, Seto, could you get me a disposable heating pad from the bathroom? I forgot to grab one."

"Okay," he said, finishing the backrub. He got up and headed to the bathroom, grabbed the heating pad and brought it to Lisa. She placed it on her belly and they got into bed. "At least this means you won't have your visitor on the honeymoon," he said, hugging her close.

"Good point." And together they fell asleep.

Y

Monday morning dawned with an overcast sky. There were patches of blue sky, though, so Domino City looked bright and happy. The Jedi kids and their families awoke, ready to face the day. Everyone got up, got clean and dressed in nice casual clothing and got picked up by the Kaiba limo. They arrived at Takenawa and Smith's, the best place for breakfast in the city. Seto had standing reservations and had called the previous evening so that the large group could have breakfast there. Within twenty minutes, everyone was eating and chatting.

"So, Solomon, how's business?" Ben Gardner asked.

"Very good, especially since Yugi became the world champion. People have been flocking into the shop to buy and to see Yugi."

Meanwhile, Tristan chatted casually with Serenity. "So, Serenity, where have you been going to school?" the hazel-eyed teen boy asked.

"North Haverbrook Junior High. I just started ninth grade there," she answered shyly.

"How much younger are you than Joey?"

"About a year and a half. So, Tristan, do you still like sports?"

At another part of the table, Teá and Mai were talking. "So you and Yugi have been friends since you were really little?" Mai asked. Teá nodded.

"Yeah, since we were three. It was just after he moved in with Mr. Muto. I started taking dance classes after that. Yugi's always been there for me."

"And you've always been there for him," Mai answered. "Teá, I'm sorry I was such a jerk at Duelist Kingdom. Maybe you could cheer for me sometimes?" she asked with a hopeful smile.

"You've got it," Teá said, giving Mai a huge hug.

Lisa contentedly listened to the exchange, and Seto noticed her soft smile. "Babe?"

"Just enjoying this, honey. It's nice to see everyone just chatting like this."

Yugi, who'd heard the exchange, smiled and said, "You're enjoying having friends, aren't you, Lisa?" Lisa nodded.

Finally, Seto stood up and lightly clinched his glass with a knife. "Everybody, I'd like to go over what we're going to be doing at the hospital." When he was sure everyone was paying attention, the teen CEO continued, "I've asked that the press keep its distance, so when we get to the hospital, we should be able to get in there without a problem. When we come out, everyone but the Wheelers and Lisa, Mokuba and I will head out to the limo."

"Hey, Kai—Seto, I mean," Mai said, "I'd like to go with Liz, Serenity and Joey, if I could. If that's all right with you and Yugi, Grandpa, I'd like to be with my boyfriend." Solomon smiled and nodded.

"Okay," Seto said, "that can be done. So most of you will head for the limo, and the rest of us will come out with Joey and Mokuba. Lisa believes that Joey will want to walk out under his own power if he can. Mokuba will likely take a few steps with Lisa and me, and I'll carry him to the limo. Then Lisa will make a statement to the press, take questions and then she'll get in the limo and we'll get out of there and drop most of you off and then head to the mansion. Any questions?" No one had any. "All right then. We'll leave in just a bit."

At 10:30 AM, the Jedi teens, adult and everyone else arrived at Domino Children's Hospital. The press, as promised, kept its distance as the group left the limo. "Getting out of here will be interesting," Yugi whispered to his sister. She nodded, a bit nervous, and gripped his hand. The press was clearly taking pictures. "It'll be okay, sis. The truth will free us," Yugi whispered again. And the group walked into the building together.

The group arrived at Joey and Mokuba's room at 10:45, and after the normal greetings and hugs, Joey asked, "What're in the boxes?" One of the security people had come in with two shiny boxes and handed one each to the boys.

"Open them," Lisa coaxed. "Mai picked yours, Joey, and Seto and I picked yours, Moks." And so the boys pulled the ribbons on their boxes and opened them up.

"Whoa," Joey said, pulling the contents of the box out. "You picked this, Mai?" "This" was a pair of very nice charcoal gray sweats, athletic socks and clean pima cotton dark boxers.

"I… uh, didn't pick the boxers. I had to ask for help," she answered, blushing and pointing at Tristan and Yugi. "They knew your size."

Mokuba, meanwhile, opened his box to see a pair of Christmas red sweats, athletic socks and Blue Eyes White Dragon briefs. "Whoa. Lisa, Seto, that's great! Hey, where's my..?"

Seto quickly pulled out three velvet bags he'd concealed in his pocket. He handed Mokuba a light blue bag, and gave Lisa a sky blue bag. Then he took the remaining bag, a navy blue bag. "Let's open them at the same time," he said seriously. They each knew what was in the bags, but there was a certain symbolism in doing this together. As one, they pulled their lockets from the bags and clicked the lockets open to see the new pictures. "Good, Mokie?" Seto asked.

"Good, big brother," Mokuba answered, softly. "You look really pretty in this picture, big sister."

"Thanks, sweetie," Lisa answered, hugging him. She took the fine gold chain that held Seto's ring from around her neck and placed the ring on her finger. "There, now. I can wear this and the press will get some rumors confirmed."

"You look…beautiful, Leese," Seto said. "Mokie, have you gotten a bath this morning?"

"Yeah, Seto! I'm all clean."

"Joey," Lisa began to ask.

"Yeah, I got a shower," he said. "And… I was wonderin'… Would it be okay if I walked out to the limo? I mean…" Joey was struggling with warring emotions inside of himself and everyone with the abilities to sense it did. Mai sat down next to him and gripped his hand. Liz and Serenity came over as well, trying to send strength into him. "I just want 'em to see Joey Wheeler as strong, not a weak mutt."

"You are strong." That didn't come from the girls. That came from Seto.

"Thanks, Seto," Joey said, smiling a little. Seto sat down on the edge of Joey's bed and held out his hand. Joey shook it and again, the boys weren't sure what to do.

"Oh, will you two just hug already!" Lisa and Mai groaned together.

"Uh," Joey said.

"Er," Seto added "Okay, but I've never really hugged another guy my age before."

"Meh. There's nothin' wrong with this. We're pals, right?" Joey said, pulling Seto into a bear hug. "_**Ow**_! Guess I shouldn't have hugged you that tight," he said, releasing quickly.

"If someone had told me at Duelist Kingdom that we'd be friends, much less hugging each other, I would've sent them to Pine Corners Mental Institution," Seto said. Everyone laughed. "So should these two get dressed?" he asked, getting up and moving back to Mokuba's bed.

"Let's do it," Lisa said. And so she drew the curtains around Mokuba's bed and around Joey's, too. Tristan and Yugi helped Joey get dressed while Seto and Lisa took care of Mokuba. Lisa had also had the presence of mind to bring hairbrushes so the boys' hair was in good shape. "There now," the teen doctor said fifteen minutes later when the curtains were pulled away from around the beds and she had finished brushing out Mokuba's unruly mop of raven hair. "A nurse'll be in here to discharge you two and we can all get out of here."

"Oh, good, I didn't miss seeing you," Max Pegasus said as he came in. "Lisa girl, you look positively angelic! And it looks like you two are almost ready to go home!" he said to the boys.

"Yeah, Max, we're ready," Joey said. But he wasn't smiling.

"Joey boy…?" Max caught the emotions, as did everybody else. Yugi climbed up on the bed next to his surrogate brother to send him some strength.

"It's gonna be real. Everything that happened, it's all gonna be real," Joey said, not daring to meet anyone's eyes. "I…"

"We're all here, Joey. You're not going through it alone," Yugi said. "And no one here will ever go through stuff alone again if we can help it. We all stick together; Teá, I've hung around you so long, I'm sounding like you, aren't I?" Teá cracked up.

George O'Malley came in and quickly got the boys ready. "We'll have to have you in wheelchairs until you're at the doors, okay? And then if you choose to walk, you may," he said.

"Thanks, George, for everything," Joey said.

"Yeah, thanks, George," Mokuba added, giving the kind nurse a hug. George helped Mokuba into a small wheelchair and then helped Joey into his chair.

Pegasus smiled, looking at Seto, Lisa and Mokuba. "You'll let me know?" They nodded. "Then… good luck, all of you." He shook hands with everyone and headed back to Domino General.

The group made its way down to the hospital's main floor. Scout, Darla, Jayda and Hiro were waiting along with Dr. Bailey. "Thanks, Doctor Rhodes, for saving us," Mokuba said, giving the plump dark-haired brown-eyed surgeon a hug. Joey did the same.

"Only doing our jobs, boys," she answered, "and thanks for the autographs, kids. Mai, I know you made Lexi's day. Lisa, you take care of yourself, and we'll be at the wedding." She added this very quietly and she and the other doctors hugged their young colleague who had rapidly grown up before their eyes. Lisa swallowed, unable to speak for a moment.

"Thanks, guys," she managed finally. "Ready, guys?" she asked, looking at Joey and Mokuba. They nodded. Solomon, Yugi, Teá, Tristan and Duke went out the doors first and headed to the limo. Lisa pushed Mokuba's wheelchair outside while Mai pushed Joey's chair. They stopped just about five feet from the door and the crowd of media and well-wishers outside was huge. It was 100 feet to the limo and a podium was set up just short of the limo doors. _Here we go, honey,_ Lisa sent to Seto and he nodded. She moved to the front of each chair and lifted the footrests.

As one, the fourth grader and the high school sophomore stood up from their chairs. With Elizabeth, Mai and Serenity flanking him, Joey Wheeler stood tall and walked all the way to the limousine. Mokuba stood tall as well, but took the hands of his brother and soon-to-be sister-in-law. He took thirty steps with them before he could go no further. Seto then picked the little boy up and carried him the rest of the way to the limo.

And so Lisa made her way to the podium which was lined with several microphones. "Good afternoon, everyone. First, I would like to thank you all around the world for your thoughts and prayers on behalf of the Wheelers, the Kaibas and the Mutos. Joey Wheeler and Mokuba Kaiba are well on their way to a full recovery. Some of you are undoubtedly wondering why I brought up the Muto family. You have seen Solomon and Yugi Muto here a great deal. Though initially they were here to help and support Joey and Mokuba, they discovered that they have, respectively, a granddaughter and a sister." The press gasped, and so Lisa told the tale of Mai. "Miss Valentine has requested that her former nannies contact her. If you wish to come forward, whoever you are, please contact Miss Valentine through the Kaiba Corporation offices." She gave the proper phone number. "Now there have been inquiries as to what each of you can do to help Joey, Mokuba and Mai. Each family has suggested that you make donations to battered family shelters, organizations that help abused children and Domino Children's Hospital. The shelters and children's organizations help kids like Joey and Mai, and Domino Children's Hospital, like other Children's Hospitals around the country, never turn kids or their families away because they can't pay for treatment. So instead of sending flowers and toys, which were appreciated, please send donations to those organizations instead. Thank you and I'll take a few questions."

A middle-aged medium-built male reporter with closely cropped sandy hair and kind blue eyes from Seattle asked the first question. "Dr. Hammond, is it true that you and Seto Kaiba are seriously dating?"

"It is, Dan, and we are pleased to announce today that we are engaged to be married. We're not saying when we're getting married, so don't go looking yet, folks. Thanks for asking."

Desiree Huffington of Domino's DMNO 4 asked the next question. "Will you be caring for Joey and Mokuba while they're recovering?"

"Yes, I will be, Desiree. Thank you!"

Then a reporter from a cable news network, an Eastern Indian-American woman asked, "Dr. Hammond, how have you been since the incident early last week?"

Lisa swallowed but kept her confidence. "I am… still recovering, Uma, but I should be all right. Thank you very much everyone." With that, she stepped down and into the limo. It sped away from the scene and Lisa leaned against Seto for a moment. "It's over for now," she said softly.

"So what now?" Joey asked.

"Well, first, we'd like to invite everybody to lunch at the mansion. We'll get you set up in your room, Joey and then we'll just relax," Lisa answered. "So who'd like to come over with us?" With the exception of those who were staying at the mansion, everyone chose to go to their own homes for lunch. And so the different families were dropped off, and the Wheelers, Mai, Lisa and the Kaiba brothers were alone in the limo together.

Mokuba, now cuddled between his brother and Lisa, said sweetly, "Big brother and Lisa?"

"Yes, Mokuba?" they asked together. Mokuba had a sweet but slightly devilish look on his face.

"Can I have anything I want to eat when I get home?"

Seto looked at his love who smiled and answered, "Within reason, sweetie. What do you want?"

"I want some chocolate mousse. Can Marie make some for me?" He gave them both the Puppy Dog Eyes of Death, but noticed the older teens were both smiling.

"She already made some for you, squirt," Seto answered. "I gather you'll want to eat some?"

"I'm gonna eat it 'til I barf!"

"Not if I can help it, kiddo," Lisa answered as everyone laughed.

_And that's the end of chapter 29! Whoa… and this story isn't anywhere near finished. It won't end with the wedding. Sorry again for the slow update. I have been working with WhiteAsukalover on a few stories and that has slowed me down a bit. He's a fun guy to work with! Anyway, please read and review! I thank you in advance!_


	36. Dreams, Nightmares and Reality

Chapter XXX: Dreams, Nightmares and Reality

_Hello again, readers of "The Jedi League of Duelists!"Wow…Thank you, everyone, for making this story my second-most reviewed fic! I'm so glad that the relaunch has seen this story become loved. Thanks to my reviewers, syrusfanatic12dr-fan/mai-lover and Invader101 for reviewing. Again, to everyone who has been reading, thank you and please review! I'd keep going with it anyway, but your reviews are very encouraging!_

_**Disclaimer: **__Peach Wookiee doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh. She checked. She doesn't. She also doesn't own the Nordstrom retail chain. She just has relatives who work there. She also doesn't own any other store._

_**Author's Notes, some time later: **__The short dream sequences are now in italics. Some other minor changes have been made as well._

The long black limousine pulled up to the Kaiba mansion at 1:30 PM and the group of seven people in the limo was glad to be there. "So we're really livin' here," Joey said in an awed voice.

"No, Joey, we'll be living in a cardboard box out back," Seto answered in a good approximation of his once-common creepy voice. "Of course we're living here," he added in a much warmer voice. "I can take you on a tour of the mansion if you'd like. But I imagine everyone would like to have some lunch first." And everyone nodded. Marie had made a little bit of everything so everyone could choose what they wanted. Joey, for once, had to go easy on what he ate because he still ached a bit and didn't have much of an appetite anyway.

"This is great," Joey said around a mouthful of Marie's spaghetti. He swallowed and continued, "I don't think I've had stuff this good since…you and Ren were still here, Mom. Do you still remember how to make..?"

"Mama's special raspberry brownies?" Elizabeth asked, smiling. "Of course I remember, Joey. And I can even show you how to make them. If you want to learn, that is."

Joey nodded. "When I was livin' with Dad, I did most of the cooking. Or we sent out for pizza when he wasn't too smashed. Most of the time, I fended for myself." He tried to cover it with his usual tough-guy attitude, but even without powers, the members of that small group could tell talking about it bothered him.

Seto decided to help Joey focus on something other than his dad. "What did you cook? When I started taking care of Mokie on my own, all I knew for sure how to make was Jell-O and ramen noodles. My mom taught me how to cook stuff and I watched, so eventually I was able to make other stuff like her tuna casserole."

Joey grinned at that. "What else do you know how to make? Maybe we could swap."

Seto grinned back and soon they were chatting about the different things they'd made while on their own. Since Joey had been a little older than Seto had been when the former found himself without a mom to do the cooking, Joey had known initially how to make more things. The boys swapped recipes and Joey's spirits seemed to lift a bit. Then Marie brought in dessert and the group enjoyed Mokuba's favorite chocolate mousse of which the raven-haired boy had two helpings.

"You want to see my room, Joey?" Mokuba asked when the group finished with lunch.

"Sure, kid, you got it!" the blonde boy said with a smile. "I bet you've got a real cool room."

"Just wait and see! I can't walk that far yet, can I, big sister?" Mokuba asked Lisa, who nodded.

"Your legs will get stronger, sweetheart, but today, they just are really wobbly. So don't be upset with yourself when you're unable to do something. Just focus on what you can do," the teen doctor said to her future little brother-in-law. Mokuba nodded, smiling.

While Serenity, Mai and Liz headed to their room, Seto, Lisa and Mokuba gave Joey a walking tour of the mansion. "Whoa," Joey said, taking a look at the Olympic-size swimming pool. "Wish my cast was off."

"Scout wants to take it off on Wednesday, Joey, so you'll get a swim or two in. And you're welcome to come over and use the pool. Just give us a call first, all right?" Lisa offered, smiling. Joey nodded. The four went through the main floor and then to the second floor. And then they arrived at Mokuba's bedroom.

"Here's my room, Joey!" Mokuba said happily. "Maybe we can play video games a little later… Are those for me?!" "Those" were some special plush toys on Mokuba's bed. His teddy bear that Darren Hammond had given the little boy was on the big bed, along with Mokuba's own treasured Blue Eyes White Dragon plush toy, a Red Eyes White Dragon plushie, a new Dark Magician, a Dark Magician Girl, a Cyber Commander, an Injector Fairy Lily (Lisa's choice), a Thirteenth Grave plush toy, a Harpy's Lady plush, a St. Joan plush and a Change of Heart plush. "Did everybody get one for me?" When the older teens nodded, Mokuba smiled. "I'll have to tell everybody thanks."

Mokuba beckoned Lisa and Seto and the two sat down on the bed with the little boy while Joey settled into an easy chair. The little boy sat between brother and sister-in-law and lay down so his raven head was resting in her lap. She ruffled his silky soft hair and began to sing softly. It was a melody Seto recognized from Hiyao Miyazaki's _Castle in the Sky_, the melody in the movie opening and when Pazu and Sheeta defeat the evil Mousska. The small boy's breathing became slower and deeper; he was asleep.

Seto slipped off the bed and got it open. Then he helped move Mokuba onto the sheet and then covered him over with the top sheet and blanket. Lisa ruffled Mokuba's hair again, and got off of the bed. "Shall we go see your room now, Joey?" she asked. He nodded and the teens tiptoed out of the bedroom and went down the hall to a room decorated in green.

"Whoa! Man, I'm in a palace!" Joey said, awed. "Thanks for…man, I don't know what to say…all you're doin'… both of you." He was at a loss for words.

"It's okay, Joey," Seto said. "We're glad to do this for you and your family. Want to take a rest for a bit?" Joey nodded, headed over to his big soft bed and got his sneakers off. Then he stretched out on the huge green comforter. "Call us if you need anything." The blonde boy nodded and took a few deep breaths.

"Think he'll be okay?" Seto asked. "He seems a little edgy."

"Seto, he'll be all right. This is a lot to take in and Joey's just getting used to the fact that his life has changed. He's got his mom and sister back," she said softly as they walked down the hall together, "but he also lost his dad and that hurts no matter how the man was."

"Yeah," Seto said softly, his eyes getting a far-away look in them. "I remember the day Mokie and I had to clear out our old house. Even though Dad had changed, it still hurt to lose him. And then…" Seto's eyes became stormy and his fiancée put her arms around him, "The day after…_he_ died, Mokie and I started clearing out the mansion. Some stuff was valuable, so I had it donated. But…_his_… personal effects were another story. I grabbed a golf club and started smashing, and then Mokuba and I had a big bonfire in the backyard. But I felt so empty afterward."

"Seto, you and Joey are so alike at times, it's scary," Lisa said softly. "Think you can help him when we go to clear out the apartment?"

Seto took a shaky breath and nodded. "I'll do my best. I'll bet it's been a while since it's been cleaned anyway. I'll bring people and we can make sure Joey gets the security deposit back at least." They reached out and sensed Joey. "He's sleeping," Seto said softly.

"It's the medication he's on. That's why he and Mokuba are sleeping right now. They'll be okay." Lisa hugged him softly. "It'll all work out," she whispered. And then Elizabeth, Mai and Serenity had come up the stairs. "They're both asleep," Lisa whispered.

The five people headed downstairs quickly. "Joey fell asleep?" Mai asked softly.

"Yeah, it's the pain medication," Lisa answered. "Both of them are on stuff that makes them sleepy. And they had a rough day today, so that probably helped. They'll be all right."

"So what's the plan for tomorrow?" Liz asked.

"Well, if the boys are up to it, we'll go shopping."

"Lisa," Seto said, "I'll take care of Mokie tomorrow. Unless he wants to go with you, I wouldn't mind keeping him home and just having brother time. Is that all right?"

"Sure, honey. I've been thinking you should have some time, just you two."

"Great, babe. Liz, we've made arrangements to have things moved to your new house, but you definitely need some new stuff. Joey'll need a new bed and I'll bet there's a lot of stuff you need replaced," the teen CEO said. "And you three haven't had a lot of new clothes, either, I'll bet. Joey's church suit is threadbare."

"Seto, honey, you and Lisa don't have to…" Liz began.

"We want to do this," Seto countered her. "You deserve it after all you've been through. Lisa'll take you guys out tomorrow. Just enjoy it, all right?"

"I can't say no, can I?" Liz asked, smiling. "So will we just let Joey sleep?"

"I'll wake him at dinnertime along with Mokuba. They need to take their medications and those need to be taken with food. From what the gang tells me, Joey is a pretty sound sleeper, so he'll wake up, eat what he needs and then fall back to sleep. Mokie'll probably do the same thing." Liz nodded. Mai, without a word, walked down the hall to Joey's room. The door was open, and the blonde girl saw her boyfriend stretched out on the green Egyptian cotton-covered duvet. She smiled softly and grabbed a throw blanket, laying it over her love. She tiptoed out of the bedroom and back down the hall.

Y

_The wind in his hair was amazing. Joey was flying through the air, the blue sky above him and the city below. But Joey wasn't flying by himself. Carrying him through the clouds was the Red Eyes Black Dragon. Joey could feel Red Eyes' scales on his arms and hands and then he made sure his legs were securely wrapped to the creature. He held up his arms and cheered. Red Eyes roared his approval. _

"Joey, sweetie, it's time to wake up. Lisa needs to give you your dinner and your medicine," his mother was saying. The dream broke apart, and Joey felt his mom's hands on his shoulders. His eyes opened.

"Oh, hey, Ma," the boy said. "How long was I..?"

"About five hours. Now let's get you sitting up." And Liz helped Joey eat his supper, a big bowl of chicken soup accompanied by fresh bread and a glass of milk. Joey ate quite a bit and had his pain medication. He went to the bathroom, headed back to bed and was asleep at 8:30 PM.

Y

_"Hey, Lisa," Mokuba called, running through the mansion. "__**Big sister**__!" He found her in her and Seto's bedroom, watching TV. "Can I watch with you?"_

_"Sure, sweetie," she said. She looked a little pale, but okay. Mokuba wasn't sure what was going on, but he was relaxed as he cuddled next to her._

"Mokuba…" He could hear his brother's voice. "Mokie, I wish I could let you sleep, but you need your meds."

"C'mon, sweetie," Lisa coaxed. "Wake up." Mokuba opened his eyes to see his brother and future sister-in-law hovering above him.

"I was having a good dream," the small boy said as his brother helped him to sit up. "You were in it, Lisa, and we were watching TV." He told them about his dream and the two smiled. He ate his dinner, macaroni and cheese, ham and broccoli with cheese, and then had his medication which knocked him out almost immediately.

Liz, Serenity and Mai headed to their room shortly after Joey and Mokuba fell asleep and Lisa elected to sleep on the fold-out couch bed in Mokuba's room. "Just in case he wakes up in the middle of the night, he'll need help. Joey might, too, and I don't want to wake you if either of them does," she explained to Seto. "Will you be okay, honey?" Seto nodded.

"It'll be lonely in there without you, babe. I've gotten used to you being in there since last Monday and it's quiet." He pulled her against himself and kissed the top of her head. "Lisa…" She could strongly sense his desire for her at this moment.

"Don't say it," she whispered. "Just think how good it'll be in two weeks."

"I can be patient," he whispered back, smiling and drawing her into a deep kiss that made her weak in the knees. "Good night, Leese."

"Good night, Seto." And with that, Seto headed back down the hall to his and Lisa's bedroom. He opened his bed and for the first time in a week, slept alone. He switched pillows so he could smell her scent, now embedded in the pillow she used for her head. He was soothed by her scent and fell asleep. Lisa, back in Mokuba's room, checked the little boy before she snuggled down in the blankets of her little couch bed.

_He'll sleep all night,_ she thought as she drifted. All things being equal, everyone would've slept that whole night, but it was not going to be.

Y

_It was happening again. Seto was seeing it all. Pegasus chasing him, morphing into Kemo grabbing him, and then Gozaburo… Seto was twelve years old again and terrified. "Please just leave us alone," he pleaded. But he felt Gozaburo grab him by the collar. It was all happening again. The beating started and he could smell Gozaburo's favorite brand of scotch on the monster's breath. Seto knew what was coming, and knew that the demon wouldn't be satisfied with simply beating his adopted son on this occasion. A small part of the young man Seto tried to fight the nightmare, but most of him was now that child again… powerless. His dream self fought and kicked as he had that first horrible time, but he knew somehow that resistance was futile…_ _**Nooooooo!**_

Throughout the mansion, the other Jedi kids woke up feeling Seto's panic and quickly raised their mental shields. "Lisa," Mokuba whispered, terrified.

"It's a bad one," she whispered back and got out of bed. Lisa moved to Mokuba's bedside and picked the little boy up. "We have to wake him out of it." She'd seen Seto have bad nightmares before, but this…this was somehow different.

"He's had bad ones like this before," Mokuba whispered. "Lisa…" Without another word, she carried him out of the room. To her surprise, Joey, Mai, Serenity and Liz were coming out of their rooms as well.

"What's going on?" Liz asked. "The girls said it felt like someone was…"

"Seto's having a nightmare, Elizabeth," Mokuba whispered, "and it's a real bad one."

"Leese," Joey groaned softly. They could all feel it and moved down the hall fast. Seto was moaning and pleading in terror. Lisa and Mokuba moved in quickly and got to Seto.

"Seto, honey," Lisa said in a calm voice, grabbing him by the shoulders, "wake up. Honey, you're having a nightmare. It's not real."

"Big brother, it's okay. He's not here anymore. Seto, _**wake up**_!" Mokuba shouted. It took a few minutes to wake him from the nightmare, but finally Seto's deep blue eyes opened. He looked at the two people he loved most and pulled into their hug.

"It's all right, you're safe," Lisa said softly as he shook against them, sweaty and with silent tears running down his face. He couldn't talk for a few minutes, he was so shaken. And then he felt a third pair of arms, then a fourth, fifth and sixth pair joining in the hug.

"You're okay, man," Joey said.

"Yeah, you're okay now," the other girls whispered.

Finally, Seto was able to talk. "Thanks, you guys. I'm sorry."

"Seto, you don't have anything to be sorry for," Joey said. "Dude, pardon my French, but you went through hell. Don't be sorry for havin' nightmares because of it. It's okay." Seto, face still the color of cottage cheese, nodded.

Lisa looked around at her future brother-in-law, her future husband's new secretary/ friend's mother, and her friends who nodded in agreement to her unspoken question. "We're all staying in here with you, all right, Seto?"

"Huh?"

"There's plenty of room, honey and I'm glad we put in that fold-out couch in this room," she said softly. "We're not leaving you alone in here." And so at two in the morning, Seto fell asleep between his future wife and his little brother. Liz, Serenity and Mai fell asleep on the fold-out couch bed and Joey fell asleep in a reclining overstuffed chair.

Y

Seto Kaiba awoke at 7:30 AM. For a brief moment, he couldn't remember what had happened the previous night and then it came rushing back. He was between his fiancée and his little brother because they wouldn't leave him. He also saw his friends and friend's mom/secretary sleeping in different parts of his bedroom. _They stayed,_ he thought. So he didn't wake Lisa, the teen CEO turned to Mokuba. "Mokie, buddy, wake up," he whispered. The raven-haired little boy stirred and awoke.

"Seto..?" Mokuba whispered back. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Why don't we get out of bed and get ready for today? Lisa's going to take Joey and the other girls shopping a little later. Would you like to go with them or do stuff today?"

"Are you working, Seto?" the little boy asked quietly.

"I'm going to get stuff done after we eat breakfast, but I don't have any meetings and once I'm done with what I need to do, we can go anywhere we want, okay?"

"Okay. Are we gonna wait until they wake up?"

"No, I'm going to get my stuff from the bathroom and the closet and then we'll get cleaned up and dressed in your room, all right?" Mokuba nodded quietly and so the boys slid quietly out of the bed. Seto picked Mokuba up and carried him quietly down to the little boy's bedroom. Seto then sneaked back to his bedroom, tiptoed into the bathroom and his closet and got what he needed to be ready for the day. He tiptoed back out of the room and headed back to Mokuba's room. "Okay, kiddo, let's get you cleaned up," Seto said.

"Just fill up the bathtub, Seto and I can do the rest. Then you can get a shower," Mokuba suggested. Seto nodded and filled up the bathtub, and then helped his brother get in. When Seto was sure that Mokuba was okay, he got in the shower. The two boys got cleaned up, and Seto got out of the shower, putting a robe around himself. Then he got Mokuba out of the tub and got his bathrobe on him. "Seto?" Mokuba asked when his brother was toweling off his long black hair.

"Yeah, Mokuba?"

"What're we gonna do today?"

"Well, that depends on you, little brother. Scout said we can't tire you out. Maybe I could take you to the Domino Deluxe Amusement Park." Mokuba grinned at this suggestion, so Seto knew it was a winner. "Let's get you dressed and then we'll get a little breakfast. Then we can go up to my office, I'll get my work done as quickly as I can and then we can go to Domino Deluxe." Mokuba nodded again. And so the older boy went to his brother's closet and selected an outfit of blue jeans, a white turtleneck and a red v-neck sweater over the turtleneck. For himself, Seto chose jeans and a blue sweater. After they were dressed, the boys quietly headed to Seto's home office where they worked for a bit.

Lisa Hammond, for her part, awoke at 8:30 AM and she quickly realized she was alone in the big bed. _Seto?_ she sent. _Seto, honey, where are you?_

Seto sensed Lisa's call and sent back, _I'm in Mokie's room. We got up at 7:30 and we're going to work in my office for a bit. Then we're going to go to the Domino Deluxe Amusement Park, babe. He's been wanting to go there for a long time. Good plan?_

_Good plan, honey. Mokuba? _she sent to her future brother-in-law.

_Yeah, big sister?_

_Take it easy today. You need to keep going forward, not in reverse._

_Huh?_

_That means have fun with your brother, but not so much fun that you hurt yourself and set yourself back._

_Okay, Lisa!_ And then the boys went to work, closing communication. Lisa, for her part, sneaked into the closet and bathroom and grabbed what she needed. She got herself cleaned up in her old purple bedroom and dressed in jeans and a long-sleeved purple t-shirt and headed back to the bedroom she shared with Seto. By then, the other four people in the room were awake.

"Mornin', Lisa," Joey greeted, as did the girls. "What are we doin' today?"

"We're going shopping, guys, after we're all ready. Joey, let me check your bandages after you get clean, okay?" Joey nodded. And so everyone got ready for the day.

While Lisa, Mai, the Wheelers and the Kaibas were getting ready for the day, Yugi, Tristan, Tea and Duke were in school for the first time since the day Joey's dad tried to kill Lisa and committed suicide. The press, stationed outside the school, saw the kids and shouted questions. But as they had been advised to do, they wouldn't answer. They made it into the school, and Yugi found his classes lonely without Seto and Joey, as did the other three kids. The four met up at lunch and Bakura joined them.

"Hey, everyone," the British boy greeted, still sounding a bit stuffy but much better. "Thanks for checking on me the other day. That was really kind of you."

"Hey, Bakura," Yugi greeted, looking up from the bento box his grandfather had packed for him today. "No problem. Is your dad back yet?"

"No. He's quite busy at the Bamiyan ruins. How are Joey and Mokuba?"

"We'll see them later today. If you'd like to join us, Bakura…"

"I…" And it was here that Bakura's darker half took over, but not enough that the Jedi teens could completely detect the change. "I have an errand to run this afternoon, but perhaps I'll see you later." The darker Bakura made his lighter half look regretful.

"Don't sweat it, Bakura. Maybe you'll be able to hang out with us later," Tristan said cheerfully. While the kids sensed something wasn't quite right with Bakura, they weren't able to sense the switch between his darker half and his lighter half. And so the dark influence let go of control and the gentle presence known as Bakura Ryou returned completely.

At 10:30 in the morning, Lisa, Mai and the Wheeler family were on their way to the Domino Furniture Emporium. "So we're gettin' furniture today?" Joey asked.

"Not just that, Joey," Lisa now explained. "We'll get your furniture, bedding and clothes, too."

"Lisa," Elizabeth said, "are you sure..?"

"I'm sure, Liz. Seto and I want to do this for you three. Mai, you and I are going to have some fun, too, all right?" Mai nodded mutely. In a few minutes, the five people were getting out of the car and heading into the furniture store. Elizabeth had seen her new home and already had an idea of how she wanted the furniture to look. Serenity, too, had an idea of how she wanted her new bedroom to look.

"Mom, what do you think of this one?" Serenity asked, pointing to a lovely white twin bed, a type that she'd always wanted. Elizabeth walked over and examined the bed.

"I think it's lovely, sweetie. Lisa?" the mother called to her boss's future wife. Lisa sauntered over and took a look and then picked up a buy slip. Meanwhile, Joey walked with Mai through the store.

"What do you think of this one, Mai?" Joey asked, pointing to a handsome oak twin bed. Now if Joey had been any other guy (with the obvious exception of her brother and maybe the other guys in the group), Mai might've been suspicious of the question.

"It's nice, Joey," she said, smiling. He sat down on it, smiling.

"It's comfy. C'mon," he said, patting the bed. She sat down to discover the comfortable mattress.

"This is nice," she said, grinning. Joey grinned back.

"I guess this is the one, then." And then Joey called Lisa over and handed her the buy tag for the bed. He also selected the rest of the bedroom set. Elizabeth made her choices for her room and then the group went and paid for the furniture and Lisa arranged for delivery.

"So now what?" the mother asked as she and the teens piled into the car.

"We're heading to get some lunch and then we'll go to the mall. Liz, you, Joey and Serenity could definitely use some new clothes. Joey, you definitely could, man."

Mai grinned. "Mind if I help?" Lisa returned the grin and nodded. "Joey," the amethyst-eyed girl grinned, "you're going to look fabulous when we're done with you!"

"Mai…" He couldn't help noticing the almost hungry gleam in her eyes.

"I don't think you're a fashion reject anymore, hon, but you still could use some new threads."

Joey smiled sheepishly and said, "Well, when ya put it that way, great!"

The five shoppers arrived at the Domino Mall at 12:45 and ate lunch at a burger place. And then, the group walked down to the Domino Nordstrom. "We're…shoppin' here?" Joey asked, gulping and his eyes widening.

"Yeah," Lisa shrugged.

"But…whoa," Joey said, awed.

Serenity smiled serenely at her brother. "That's where we got my dress and shoes, big brother. Lisa's daddy works at one of the Nordstrom stores in Seattle, so it's no big deal."

"Uh…okay," Joey said finally. And so the first place the group stopped was the men's departments. By 2:30, Joey had been outfitted with new shoes, casual wear, dressy attire and a few nice jackets, Mai helping to make sure everything was up to date. And then Serenity and Elizabeth were similarly outfitted, and the mother of two got several new suits for work. At Lisa's insistence, Mai also got some new clothes. Mai had been thinking of changing her wardrobe, but hadn't had the time. Now, though, she got some more modestly cut outfits.

After Nordstrom, the group split up. Mai took Serenity to her favorite beauty salon in the mall while Elizabeth, Lisa and Joey headed to Brooks Brothers. "We're shoppin' here now?!" Joey asked, eyes wide as saucers.

"Joey," Lisa said, "you need some nice new suits. Your old one is threadbare."

"Well, I did get it at Goodwill," he admitted. "Dad wouldn't shell out for a new suit 'cause… well, he said that mutts don't deserve new clothes." He sighed and his mom gave him a soft hug, realizing just how much damage her late ex-husband had inflicted on her son. Joey sensed how much his mom worried and relaxed a bit.

Meanwhile, down at the beauty salon, Serenity Jayne Wheeler was getting her nails done, her hair styled and her make-up done by a cosmetologist. "You guys do a great job on her," Mai commanded.

"Yes, Miss Valentine," the crew chorused. Thanks to her new powers, Mai could sense that the major reason the crew did her bidding was because she spent a lot of money here. Some of the crew didn't like her, though, because she was bossy and demanding.

"Armand?" she asked the head beautician, a handsome blonde man in khaki pants and a short-sleeved t-shirt with an unknown accent.

"Yes, liebschen?"

"Tell me, am I really demanding?" she asked, a pleading look in her amethyst eyes.

Armand took a deep breath, concern in his sea-green eyes. "Miss Valentine, you are a young lady who knows precisely what she wants."

Mai could tell Armand was sugarcoating his response in order to spare her feelings. "Armand, please," she said in a soft voice. "If you really think I've been too demanding, I really want to know." He didn't say a word. He didn't have to. "Then," she concluded, "I owe everyone in this shop an apology." She looked over at Serenity. "I have an example to set." After Serenity was coiffed, polished and made up beautifully, Mai gave each person a big tip and a brief apology.

"What was that all about?" Serenity asked.

"Something I needed to do, hon," Mai answered, putting her arm around the younger girl. Together, they walked back down to Brooks Brothers.

Joey, at this time, stood in front of a three-panel mirror as a tailor made adjustments to his gray-blue suit pants. "Are they comfortable, Mr. Wheeler?" the tailor asked.

"Yes, sir, they're really nice," the blonde boy answered, lifting his arms. Fortunately, the cast he was wearing didn't affect how the suit was fitted. The tailor made a few more adjustments to the suit, and was done. Joey pulled on his regular clothes quickly, and headed out of the room.

"Joey," Lisa asked, "how are you fixed for dress shirts?"

"I've got the one you saw me in and a tan one."

"Okay then, what's your size?" Joey told her and he, Lisa and Elizabeth started looking. They found several dress shirts and were setting them on the counter when Mai and Serenity arrived.

"Hey, guys! Take a look at the new Serenity!" Mai introduced happily. "Gorgeous, isn't she?"

Elizabeth smiled and got a little teary. "My babies aren't babies anymore." Both of the Wheeler kids groaned and laughed.

"Mom!"

"_**Ma**_!" Elizabeth wiped her brown eyes and smiled at this reaction from her two children.

"I'm guessing you need some ties, Joey?" Lisa asked, diffusing the tension. Joey nodded, and the girls went looking for ties. They found several and Joey had a wardrobe that would make him look the young gentleman that he was.

"Joey, I could take you to Milan and you could model!" Mai said, impressed.

"Thanks, Mai," he said. Lisa got the group together and started snapping pictures of the group. Elizabeth, at one point, insisted that Lisa join the group in the pictures. The five posed nicely with their shopping bags while someone took a couple of pictures. And then it was time to go home.

The Wheelers, Mai and Lisa arrived back at the Kaiba mansion at 6:30. Seto and Mokuba had arrived home about an hour earlier and the smaller boy was sound asleep in his bed. "Mokie screamed himself hoarse on the Hurricane Fury. He was exhausted and he fell asleep on the way home," Seto whispered as he and his love looked in on the raven-haired little boy. "Was the shopping trip successful?" She handed him several receipts. His eyebrows raised. "I think it was."

"Yeah. Joey's got a new wardrobe, and so do Liz and Serenity. I got Mai a few things, too."

"Great. Let's go have some dinner and then you need to rest up."

"Yeah. I… Seto, tomorrow isn't going to be easy on Joey."

"Yeah, clearing out his apartment won't be easy. It'll be all right, Leese."

"I hope so, honey," she said, and together, they left the sleeping Mokuba. That evening was a relaxing one, but everyone knew that Wednesday would not be.

_And that concludes chapter 30, everyone! Today, February 22, is my birthday, and my birthday gift to myself was getting this chapter up! I hope you liked it and stay tuned for chapter 31, "Confrontation." Read and review, everyone!_


	37. Confrontation

Chapter XXXI: Confrontation

_Welcome back, everyone, to the next chapter of _**The Jedi League of Duelists!**_ I'm glad you want me to continue and I'm pleased to do so! I'd now like to thank syrusfanatic12, Invader101, dr-fan/mai-lover and newcomer Lightsaber209 for reviewing. I'm always glad to hear from you and if you're not reviewing because you're only now joining the story, don't let that stop you! I like knowing what you think! And I know this story is a long read, but I hope it's something worth reading. I really enjoy writing it. There won't be much dueling at all in this story, folks. I know the anime, but not much of the card game, I'm afraid. So if you're looking for that kind of action, that isn't happening. Sorry._

_**Disclaimer: **__Peach Wookiee doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of the characters. She owns Lisa and likes giving established characters middle names. She also owns no prayers. She just researched them on the Internet and has worked for a wonderful family that is Catholic._

_**Warning and Author's Notes, some time later: **__This chapter contains references to previous violence and abuse. This may get fairly intense. Also, I shortened the previous AN and made some minor changes. Thank you for your attention._

Joey Wheeler awoke on Wednesday morning to blue skies and sunshine. The fifteen-year-old boy knew that he should feel good about today, but instead he felt rotten inside.

Y

_I wish I could just go back to sleep and wake up tomorrow and find everybody had cleaned my apartment. I've got to do this, though. I have to go back there… For the first time since the night Dad almost killed me, I have to go back to the hellhole I lived in with him. At least…at least it'll be the last time. Oh, man… I don't know if I can do this. Lisa says I've got my friends, my mom, my sister and God on my side, but why do I feel so alone?_

Joey took a deep breath and let it out. He glanced at the digital clock. _Six AM…I think I'll pray the Rosary. There's plenty of time._ He picked up a set of rosary beads Father Pat had brought him while Joey was in the hospital, his hands trembling slightly. And so, Joseph Aaron Wheeler began to pray.

A little bit before six, Lisa, Seto, Mokuba, Elizabeth, Serenity and Mai all awoke, sensing Joey's emotional turmoil. Seto, Lisa and Mokuba emerged from Mokuba's bedroom, while the Wheeler women and Mai emerged from their bedroom. "Is…is Joey..?" Elizabeth asked the kids.

"He's awake, and he's definitely upset," Lisa answered softly.

"Lisa?" Mokuba whispered, feeling the achiness of Joey's heart.

"Mokuba…shhhh…" The group of six quietly padded their way down the hall toward Joey's room. They stopped, and the Jedi teens and kid used their abilities to heighten their hearing and heard his prayer.

_Leese?_ Seto sent, questioning.

_He's praying the Rosary,_ she sent back. Mai and Serenity nodded in agreement.

Joey prayed, "And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen." He had only begun the rosary, and so he took a deep breath and continued, "Hail Mary, f-full of grace, the Lord is w-with you. B-blessed are you among w-women, and b-blessed is the F-fruit of your womb, J-Jesus. H-Holy…M-Mary… M-mother of God…" Joey's voice broke at this moment and he managed to say, "Sorry, Blessed Virgin, I can't do it," and then he broke down, crying. Elizabeth looked at Lisa in an unspoken plea and the teen doctor nodded. The mother took a breath and pushed open the already-ajar door.

"Joey? Sweetheart?" she asked, coming into the bedroom. Joey lifted his head.

"Mom? What..?"

"We all woke up and the girls said it felt like you were upset. I needed to check on you."

Joey took another shaky breath. "Mom, I don't know how I'm going to do what I have to do." Mother and son hugged as they had when the boy was little and his dad had been drunk and beaten his mother. He remembered how she had hugged and tried to console him back then, but now it was different. He started really sobbing now, broken and anguished sobs. Liz just held him.

Outside the door, the teens and small boy stood against the wall. Mai and Serenity looked at Lisa, pleading to be in with boyfriend and brother. _Lisa,_ Mai sent, pleading, but the doctor shook her head.

_I know it's hard, Mai, but Joey needs Liz right now, not us. You girls will be in there in a little bit, though._ The blonde and redheaded girls nodded understanding, but still looking toward the door, hearing normally tough-guy Joey sobbing inconsolably. _He's getting better, but the fact is, it's going to take time._ Mai and Serenity nodded.

Mokuba pulled on his brother's pajama top. _Seto, can you pick me up? _he sent. Seto nodded and picked up the little boy. _Is Joey going to be okay? Seto, he's so sad._

_Lisa's right, Mokie. It's going to take some time before he's really all right again. In some ways, he had it worse than we did._

Mokuba looked straight at his brother. _Really, Seto? _he asked, his eyes wide.

_Yeah, because he was alone and it was his own dad. He didn't have a little brother to keep him smiling inside. Mokie, I would've given up if you hadn't been there._ In response to this, Mokuba hugged his brother.

_Love you, big brother._

_I love you too, little brother. Leese?_ the teen CEO sent to his fiancée.

_Yeah, honey?_

_Should I talk to him later?_

Lisa smiled. _That would be a good idea. You understand him better than you know._

Back in the room, Joey's sobs quieted. He held onto his mother as if she were a life preserver. Even though he was quite a bit bigger than the last time his mother held him when he was scared, he could still hear the beating of her heart. He could also feel her hand gently rubbing his back. "Joey, it'll be all right, angel. It's okay to cry, sweetheart," she soothed as she had for the past several minutes.

Joey lifted his head and wiped his eyes. "Thanks, Mom. I think I'll be oc—ow!" Joey winced, placing a hand on his ribs.

"Joey?!" She got him to lie back down and called, "Lisa?!" Lisa moved into the room quickly.

"Joey, where does it hurt?" she asked briskly.

"My ribs," he said softly. She nodded, quickly pulled up his shirt and examined his chest.

"Mai?" Lisa called, and the blonde girl poked her head in the room. "Could you go and get my medical bag? It's on the dresser in our bedroom." Mai nodded and ran down the hall quickly. She came back with an old-fashioned black doctor's bag and handed it to Lisa.

"Can I help?"

"Actually, you can," Lisa answered. "Pull out that blue jar, will you?" Mai did. "All right, Joey," the doctor said, "this'll help your muscles relax. And I think you need to go back to sleep for a little bit, all right?" The boy nodded tiredly and the blonde-brown haired girl opened the jar and rubbed on the salve. And then she placed bandages over the area. "Okay, Joey, take a rest," she said, pulling his pajama top back down and using Jedi Calm to relax him. Within seconds, Joey was asleep again. Serenity padded into the room as Mai, Liz and Lisa got off Joey's bed.

"Is he..?" Elizabeth nodded to her daughter and placed her finger to her lips so Serenity would stay quiet. The four women tiptoed out of the room and Lisa quietly shut the door.

"Okay," Lisa said softly when they were all outside the bedroom. "Joey is going to sleep for a while longer now. I used Jedi Calm on him. That's all he needed. We can all get ourselves ready while he sleeps and get some breakfast. We'll feed him when he gets up."

"Um… Lisa? Could I sit with him after I'm done getting dressed?" Serenity asked.

"Of course," the teen doctor answered. "We'll get someone to bring up some breakfast and we can have it in Seto's and my room, all right?" Everyone nodded and went to get ready. Serenity got into the guestroom she shared with her mother and Mai first, and then got herself dressed in jeans and a black t-shirt with the outline of a pink rhinestone butterfly on the bust line. After she pulled on her socks, Serenity headed down the hall to her brother's room. She crept into the room and pulled a comfortable chair next to the bed.

It had been a long time since Serenity and her brother had slept peacefully under the same roof and an even longer time since the home they were in together was truly peaceful. And now the redheaded girl sat at her brother's bedside, just watching him sleep. Joey's left arm remained encased in the Red Eyes Black Dragon cast and would until later this morning, but at this moment, his right hand was unencumbered and laying over the comforter. Serenity slipped her hand into his, willing a little of her own strength into his soul and still-battered body.

Though they had been apart for six years, Joey had been Serenity's strength. The two had managed to exchange letters and videos (the videos were from Serenity to Joey) and therefore kept track of each other. Somehow, though, Joey had kept the fact that their father had been beating him a secret, even from her.

_Why, Joey? Why couldn't you just tell Mom and me what was going on? We could've… but no…You wouldn't have left your friends…or Dad. _Serenity sighed and crossed herself, praying silently. _Oh, my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of Hell. Lead all souls to Heaven, especially those in most need of Thy mercy. And Lord,_ she added, _please help all of us. I want Mom, Joey and me to be a family again. Amen._

Y

At 7:30, Serenity got up from her seat and padded down to Seto and Lisa's bedroom. Her mother and Mai were sitting on the couch drinking mugs of something hot and eating croissants while Seto and Lisa were sitting on the bed doing the same. "Hey, Serenity, want some breakfast?" Seto asked, getting up.

"Yeah, thank you, Seto," the girl said. And so Seto went to the bureau drawer and got a mug which he filled with hot chocolate from a china teapot and handed it to her along with a croissant on a plate.

"Is he still sleeping?" Lisa asked, and Serenity nodded. "Okay, then. We'll let Joey sleep a few more minutes and then I'll wake him and get him into a hot bath. I need to see how he's moving. I need to be able to give Scout a good update on Joey this morning when we go to get the cast off. We'll do that a little after ten. And then the hard part begins. Clearing out the apartment will be therapeutic but it also will be emotionally hard for him. We'll just have to keep him as relaxed as possible. Just be there for him, all of you." They all nodded. "I'm going to go wake him up now. After he's done getting dressed, we'll feed him."

"I'll help you with that, babe," Seto said. She nodded. He could sense that everyone's pain was taking a toll on her. _When this is over, I will make sure she relaxes or at least doesn't let the weight of the world rest on her shoulders alone._

Joey Wheeler awoke at eight o'clock to a familiar voice and someone gently shaking his shoulder. "Joey, I wish I could let you sleep longer, but I need you awake now," Lisa was saying. Joey got his eyes open to see the young doctor sitting on the edge of his big bed. "Welcome back, Joey."

"How…how long was I..?"

"About an hour and a half." Lisa helped him into a sitting position. She had her blood pressure gauge and stethoscope with her and placed the cuff of the gauge around the teen boy's arm. "Just relax. I need to check you out." He nodded. She pumped the cuff and after she was done, listened to his heart and took his pulse. "Okay," she said, straightening. "Joey, you'll be all right. I'd like to observe you for a bit so I'm going to get a bath drawn."

"Leese, I can take a shower…hold up, did you say you wanted to observe me?" Joey asked, eyes wide. _Is she comin' on to me?!_

"Joey, I'm a doctor; I am not coming onto you," Lisa said with a wry smile. Joey grinned sheepishly.

"Sorry, I forgot you could hear that," he said. "It's just…"

"I'm your peer. I forget that sometimes. But for the record, you're more like a brother. And you're not my type," she added, smiling. Joey blushed.

"You think of me like a brother?" She nodded. "How come?"

"You remind me of Eddie," she answered simply. And so Lisa got the bandages off from around Joey's midsection. He was still really bruised, so she gently probed at the incision site at his abdomen. "Any pain?" Joey shook his head. She checked where Joey had had stitches and was relieved to see everything was healing well. She filled the bathtub and helped Joey get undressed and into the warm bath. He moved slowly and gingerly, but perhaps it was more mental anguish than physical anguish. She helped him wash his hair and then let him be for a few minutes, getting a fresh outfit for him and laying it on his bed. Lisa returned to the bathroom and helped Joey from the tub, guiding him into a bathrobe.

"Joey, I got your clothes out, but before you get your top on, call me back in here. I want to put some more salve on you and put your bandages back on, okay?" He nodded, tying the bathrobe carefully. Lisa left the room and Joey walked slowly to his bed. On the bed was a set of forest green sweats, white athletic socks and boxer shorts.

_Nice, _the boy thought. He fingered the inside fuzz of the sweats, enjoying the feel of the brand new clothes. And then he pulled on his boxers, his socks and his pants. "Lisa? I'm ready!" he called. The doctor walked in and got the salve, rubbed it on Joey and then replaced his bandages. She helped him into his shirt.

"Joey, I'd like you to lie down for a few minutes while I go get you some breakfast, okay?" Lisa said as she exited the room. Joey lay down and relaxed as best he could.

"Lisa, is he..?" Elizabeth Wheeler asked as the doctor emerged from the bedroom.

"He's a bit sore, Liz, but physically, he'll be okay. Emotionally, though, Joey is going to have a hard time today. We'll just have to rally around him and let him know he'll be all right. From what I've heard, he's been strong for everyone else, and now it's our turn to be strong for him. I'll go and get him some breakfast." Mai stepped forward.

"Lisa, can I..?"

"Not yet, Mai. He'll definitely need you later. What he needs right now is to just get his physical strength up. So I'll go get his breakfast now."

"Leese, I'll help you with that," Seto said. "Mokuba, why don't you head to your room for a little bit? You can play some video games."

Mokuba, who'd been set down and was sitting on the plush carpet, stood up. "Serenity, would you like to play video games or something? You can come, too, Mai, if you want," the small boy invited. The two girls followed the little boy down the hall and Elizabeth headed to her room. Meanwhile, Seto followed Lisa down to the kitchen, concern on his features. His love looked incredibly stressed and he wanted to help her somehow.

"Lisa," he asked when they were alone in the kitchen, "babe, are you all right?"

"Yeah," she said in a dull tone that slightly frightened him. She hadn't had that tone of voice since the events of about ten days previously.

"Lisa, something is bugging you. I know that tone in your voice. You're having a hard time with this, aren't you?" Her back was to him and she turned around, revealing her strained expression. He hugged her wordlessly against him.

"It's so hard," the teen girl whispered. "Sometimes, Seto, this ability can be a curse." She held tightly to him for a moment, needing reassurance as he sent some of his strength into her. "I'll be okay. I just hope Joey will be." They released and together got a tray of breakfast ready to take up to the blonde boy. They carried it up to the room where Joey was lying on his bed.

"Hey, Leese. Oh, hey, Seto, what are you doing up here?" the blonde boy asked, sitting up a bit. Seto held the breakfast tray, so Lisa moved forward and propped Joey up with pillows.

"Obviously," the teen CEO answered, "I'm here to help you eat breakfast, so eat up, Joey."

Joey grinned wickedly. "I never thought I'd see the day…"

Seto knew what Joey was thinking, but asked anyway, emptying his face of humor, "You never thought you'd see the day..?"

"That you'd be waitin' on me, rich boy!" Joey said, laughing. Seto and Lisa too laughed. Joey ate a croissant, a piece of bacon, a mandarin orange, and drank down half a mug of hot chocolate. There was more food, but the boy just didn't have appetite for it. "Sorry, guys, I guess I'm just not that hungry," he apologized.

"It's okay, Joey," Lisa soothed. "Go get yourself ready and we'll get you to the hospital to get your cast off. I think Scout will let you just have a regular bandage and a sling today." And so the couple took the breakfast tray away and Joey went to brush his teeth, use the bathroom and brush his hair. Lisa, meanwhile, took the tray downstairs, while her fiancé headed to his brother's room to play video games for a little bit.

Y

At ten AM, the Wheelers, Mai, the Kaibas and Lisa arrived at Domino Children's Hospital to get Joey's cast removed. Fortunately, the press wasn't around, so the group could get in through the front door. Lisa was expecting Scout to be there to greet them, so she was surprised when she saw Darla Truesdale, standing with her tiny sons.

"Hi, Lisa," Darla greeted.

"Darla, hi! I thought Scout would be here. What..?"

"She had an emergency appendectomy to do and she wanted me to tell you. I brought the boys with me today. Is it okay if they watch?" Lisa looked at Joey, who nodded.

"That'd be fine," Lisa answered. "Hi, Zane. Hi, Syrus!"

"Hi, Dr. Lisa," Zane said, coming up for a hug, which Lisa gladly gave. Then little Syrus came as well.

"Hi, Dr. Lisa. How's your arm?"

"Much better, sweetie," she answered. "Boys, this is Joey. We have to get his cast off his arm today."

"Joey Wheeler?" Zane asked, impressed. "You came in second at Duelist Kingdom! Can I have your autograph?"

Joey grinned. "Of course… Zane, right?" The dark-haired boy nodded. "You too, little guy?" Syrus nodded shyly. "What's your name?" the big boy asked, kneeling down to the little blue-haired boy's level.

"Syrus… Syrus Aidan Truesdale," the tiny boy said. His big gray eyes took in Joey. "You're a good duelist."

"I bet you will be, too, someday, Syrus Aidan Truesdale." Joey moved to shake the little boy's hand and Sy hugged him. Strangely, Joey was reminded of Yugi. _I wonder if Yuge would've been like this when he was two._

"All right, do you boys want to see a cast come off?" Lisa asked cheerfully. The Truesdale brothers nodded eagerly. "Okay, then!" And everyone headed into the cast removal area. The cast was off in the space of ten minutes. "All right, Joey, flex your fingers a little," Lisa said.

Joey flexed his fingers. "It feels pretty good, Leese. But it feels kinda tired."

"That'll go away. You haven't used the arm in about two weeks," she answered, pulling some lotion from a cupboard. "This should help your arm feel a bit better," she said as she rubbed on the lotion. Joey's skin under the cast had gotten very dry and scaly, so it needed some attention. "Any pain?"

"No," Joey answered. "I think I'm okay. Thanks, everybody." Everyone around him smiled. With Darla's help, Lisa bandaged Joey's left arm and got it into a sling. And then, the teens and Elizabeth said thanks and goodbye to the kind OB/GYN and her two darling boys. "You kids be good to your mom, okay?" Joey told them, and they nodded. "I bet you guys are already, but just always think of that, okay?" They nodded solemnly.

"Thank you, Darla," Lisa said as her love, her friends and her friends' mother headed back to the limo. Darla hugged her.

"We've missed you, sweetie. Lisa, we'll be glad when you get back. Good luck today."

"Thanks, Darla. Tell Scout, Hiro and Jayda hi for me, and tell them to give the kids hugs for me."

"All right, sweetie," the bluenette said, squeezing the girl. "And you take care of your family and your friends, pumpkin." And with a last goodbye, Lisa headed to the limo.

"All right, guys, we're heading to Domino High to get the rest of the gang and another limo with parents and grandparent will be there, too. Liz, if you'd like," Lisa said. "With so many people, and since this isn't an emergency situation, I thought it would be nice if the adults had time to talk. Does that sound good?" Everyone nodded, and the limo headed to Domino High School where parents, a grandfather and five teens were waiting.

At 11:15 on Wednesday morning, ten teens and one child sat in one limousine, all quiet and lost in their own thoughts. Mai Valentine held the hands of her little brother and her boyfriend as well, willing her strength into them. Serenity Wheeler, too, gripped her brother's hand, hoping to help him through this. Yugi, for his part, was drawing on his spirit buddy/brother to help his corporeal surrogate brother. But no one in this limo spoke.

Meanwhile, in the other limousine, eight adults sat, making quiet conversation about their children or the kids they'd watched grow up. "How's Joey doing today, Liz?" Sam Taylor asked.

"He woke up really upset this morning," Elizabeth answered. "The truth is I'm worried about Joey and Serenity right now. Serenity didn't even see her father after we left. Both of them are upset."

Rose Gardner and Amanda Taylor moved close to the redheaded mom. "We're here for you, Liz and the kids, too. We'll be here, all right?" Elizabeth nodded and joined in the hug the two other women gave.

"Solomon," Amanda asked, "how's Yugi doing?"

"It's been rough on him. He's glad that he has a sister now, and I am glad to have a granddaughter. That part hasn't been rough, but ever since Mokuba and then Joey got hurt, Yugi hasn't slept well, and he hasn't been eating as well as I'd like to see him. He's been worried about everyone."

Roland smiled at this. "Yugi is a very special young man, Mr. Muto. He's a very good boy and I think Mr. Kaiba and the other kids are lucky to have him." Bryce, the other security man, nodded his agreement. "They're all good kids."

And then, the convoy arrived at the apartment complex where Joey had suffered at his father's hands for six years. Everyone piled out of the limos, and surrounded the blonde-haired fifteen-year-old boy. Mai slipped her left hand into Joey's right.

_Joey, I'm here, _she sent.

_Mai, _he sent back, _I don't know if I can do this._

_You aren't alone anymore. We're all here, hon._ The amethyst-eyed blonde girl laid her head on Joey's shoulder for a moment. Dressed in jeans, a purple long-sleeved t-shirt and sneakers, Mai stood only a little bit shorter than her boyfriend. She was glad to give him some sort of strength. And Serenity slipped her arm into the crook of her brother's left arm, careful not to hurt him. Each member of the group with Jedi training sent mental reassurances to Joey, strengthening him as best they could.

And then Yugi came close to his surrogate brother and hugged him gently. "We're all here, Joey, and we're gonna help," he said softly. Yugi, as his grandfather had said earlier, hadn't been eating as well as he should have been and hadn't been sleeping well. But oddly enough, today, the small teen gained strength in helping the older brother God had given him. "We're all here no matter what."

"Here, here," Bakura Ryou added softly. While the British boy didn't have the training that the other kids did, he could somehow still feel the camaraderie among the group. He might not have their abilities yet, but he still was part of the team. _I might not have the training,_ he mused, _but I'm still here._ But deep in the dark recesses of the adolescent's mind, the darker presence scoffed, _He honestly believes they will share with him someday. Pathetic fool…_ But the light, gentle Bakura didn't hear this dark presence at the moment. "We won't let you face this alone, Joey." Joey nodded, looking up toward his old apartment and took a deep breath.

"I… I guess we've got to go in there, don't we?" He looked at his friends and their families, seeing their concern.

Serenity said, "We're all here, big brother. You aren't going in there alone."

Solomon Muto added, "We wouldn't let you."

"Thanks, Grandpa," Joey said softly and began to walk, everyone with him. But even with his girlfriend, sister, mother, surrogate brother and friends with him, this was the hardest thing he had ever done. Together, the group of nineteen people headed into the building. It took three elevator trips, but soon everyone was on the fourth floor of the building where Joey had spent about six years of his life.

"Lisa," Mokuba whispered, "it feels wrong here." Lisa, in response, squeezed Mokuba's chubby hand. Most of the apartments had an aura of happiness, a reflection of the inhabitants within. But the apartment down the hall had a darkness about it and as the entourage closed in, they could smell the rank odor of cheap beer. Everyone could sense the fear, anger, pain, sadness and longing that came from the apartment, a mingling of Joey's emotions and that of his late father's. Everyone had varying signs of distress at this, ranging from Mokuba's anguished whisper to Mai's clenched fists, from Tristan's visible guilt to Yugi and Serenity literally fighting their own tears. Lisa, for her part, felt incredibly sad that Joey had had to shoulder such a burden and had tried to do it alone.

Joey took a deep breath as he pulled the apartment key from his pocket. He unlocked the door and took a few steps into the room. He hadn't turned on the light, so Tea used her abilities to do it, and when she did, she wished that she hadn't. "Joey, why didn't you tell us?" she asked in a pained horrified voice just above a whisper. The room had changed very little since the horrible night that a badly injured Joseph Aaron Wheeler had dragged himself out of the apartment. Near one of the bedrooms was a broken glass table with blood on a jagged edge. The blood could only have been Joey's, and it was on the carpet, too. There was a swath of blood the size of a dollar bill below the table and blood drops showing the progress of the fight and then Joey's path out of the apartment. Again, Lisa marveled at the clear miracle that Joey had managed to make it to safe haven, much less out of that room.

Joey was silent, but everyone could sense his pain. "Joey?" Yugi probed softly. Then Joey sank to his knees, eyes to the floor.

"I…should've died here," he said softly, eyes tearing. Yugi, on impulse, threw his arms around his best friend, a lot like Mokuba would do to his brother if Seto were in the same way.

"But what would we do without you?" Yugi asked softly, as his sister and the two Wheeler women joined in the hug. Joey smiled at the warmth of the hugs and the emotions of all those around him. Finally, the teen boy got back on his feet.

"Thanks, guys," he managed. "So now what, Lisa?"

"Well," the teen doctor answered, relieved that Joey was feeling a bit better, "we'll start cleaning up out here, and then we can move onto the other rooms. Roland, Bryce, if you two would head out and get what we discussed…"

"Yes, Lisa!" The two men went outside quickly.

"They're getting a dumpster and will be out there when we start moving out trash. Adults and Bakura, I'd like you guys to help us with collecting trash, packing donations and moving boxes. Joey, you'll have to help us sort, okay?" Joey nodded. "Okay, then. Jedi, today we will be working on our levitation skills. Ladies and gentleman, we will be lifting trash from here out to the balcony and then out to the dumpster. Yugi, stand right there," she said, pointing to a spot in the center of the room.

"Okay," he answered. "What now?"

"Just stand there, Yugi. Now," Lisa continued, "levitation is both fun and dangerous. It's fun because you can lift things, but it's dangerous because if you lose control, you can drop something or someone and cause injuries. So today is a good opportunity to practice because we can't really hurt anything or anyone."

"So how do we do it, big sister?" Mokuba asked.

"Everyone, watch Yugi. You find your calm center and then you concentrate on the object you want to lift and then," she said, lifting her hand, "you lift it." As soon as she said the word "lift," Yugi found himself suspended a foot off the ground.

"Lisa! _**Wow**_!" Yugi exclaimed as she set him down. "This is great! When can I try it?"

"In a couple of minutes, Yugi." She stepped out to the balcony to see that Roland and Bryce were in position. She waved to them and headed back in. "Okay, everybody, we'll start sorting and I'll work with each of you on levitating in turn. We'll have small group practice and one-on-one. So, Yugi, Teá and Seto, you three are working with me to lift this broken table out of here." The teens took their positions close to the Jedi girl and concentrated on the pieces of broken table. Tristan gestured at the sliding glass door that led to the balcony and the door opened. The group of four lifted the table pieces and got them out to the balcony and levitated them down to the dumpster perfectly.

"Did we actually do that?" Yugi asked, awed.

"We did," Seto said, also awed.

"This is so totally cool!" Teá added happily, impressed with herself and her friends.

And so began the cleaning out of the place Joey had called home for six years. The blonde-haired boy sorted through what he wanted kept, what he wanted donated and then what could be recycled or thrown away. Bakura and the adults put together and packed boxes and filled trash bags. The Jedi teens and child then sent the filled trash bags and recyclables down to the dumpsters. Within an hour and a half, the kitchen, living room and bathroom had been cleared of stuff and Seto was already taking notes on what would need to be done to fix the rooms so Joey could get the security deposit. Lisa glanced at her watch.

"Okay guys, let's all take a break. I think we need some lunch." It was nearing two o'clock and everyone was a bit hungry. So Lisa went to the balcony and got Roland and Bryce to run to a nearby teriyaki shop that served good food at a cheap price. The group of nineteen ate their fill and at a little after two, the teens and Mokuba headed into Joey's bedroom.

"I…uh…guess you guys never saw my room; well, Tris, you did, anyway," Joey said as he opened the door. Before the whole group had cleaned the living room, kitchen and bathroom, Lisa would have guessed that Joey's room was the cleanest in the apartment. Yugi stepped into the bedroom after Joey did and smiled. The room was painted in white and had a nice plush gray carpet on the floor. There was a window that let in plenty of sunshine and below that window was Joey's desk. It was as Joey had left it the night his dad had almost murdered him. On the desk was….

"_Edgar Allan Poe: Portrait of a Raven_," Yugi read out loud. "Joey, was this your report for English?"

Joey nodded. "I got it done on Friday night so I'd actually do good on a paper for a change. I'm so dumb, anyway."

Lisa, now in the room, moved over to Yugi and gently took the paper from him. She quickly read it and looked at Joey. "Joey, this is a really good paper."

She handed it to Seto, who also quickly read through it. Surprised, he added, "Joey, she's right. This is…excellent."

"You guys are just sayin' that," Joey said in genuine disbelief.

"Joey, are we just saying that?" Lisa asked. Joey sensed the two who had just read his paper quickly.

"You really think it's good," he said, eyes wide. And then he sighed, "It's too late to turn it in now, though. Miss Kobashigawa has a strict late policy on papers."

"Joey, why don't I take this to her tomorrow?" Lisa offered, also taking his algebra paper. "I'll take this, too. I think I can negotiate with your teachers." Joey smiled in gratitude. His bedroom was cleaned in about 45 minutes. Most of Joey's things were packed into moving boxes to be sent to the family's new home, while his old bed, bed linens, desk and book shelf would be donated to charity. It was decided that the furniture would be moved out toward the end of the day. Posters were rolled up and placed into cardboard packing tubes.

"Thanks, guys," Joey said happily. And then his expression darkened. "I guess we have to clean Dad's room now."

"Joey," Lisa said, "we don't have to do it today. We can do it and you can…"

"No, I have to be the one to do it. And I need to do it now…before I lose my nerve." Joey clenched his teeth and headed out of his room and down the hall. Halfway down the hall, though, he froze. The other Jedi kids could feel the full weight of Joey's emotions as he stood there. It was as if a great weight was clamping down on their hearts. And then Lisa felt the burn of white-hot anger, but it was coming from Elizabeth Alanis Wheeler. The mother was enraged that her ex-husband had inflicted such agony on her eldest child and mentally vowed to help him however she could. The teen doctor marveled at just how strong and powerful a mother's love is.

Joey's fists clenched and unclenched and his shoulders bobbed as he regained control of himself. _For cryin' out loud, Joey, get it together!_ He forced himself to walk another few feet to his late father's bedroom door and laid his hand on the door handle. Mai got behind him and laid her hand on his shoulder. With that little bit of encouragement, Joey found the strength to turn the handle on the door.

Everyone jerked back as if they'd been slapped. The air in the room was absolutely foul, smelling of cheap beer and things that the group didn't want to identify. Teá's parents, Tristan's parents and Solomon Muto had to step back to the living room, the smell was so overpowering. This time, Lisa moved to turn on the lights. Tristan gestured and opened the window shades. If the smell of the room was bad, the look of the room was, if anything, worse. There were huge piles of trash, boxes of rotting take-out food and the bed was stained and decrepit. Joey shook a little bit as he looked around at his father's room.

"I never came in here after Dad made sure I wouldn't. I tried to clean it up one time, but…Dad went berserk." Joey walked over to a pile of trash and his eyes blazed with the anger he'd managed to hold in for nearly six years. "_**You son of a—**_!" He didn't curse, but he kicked the pile. Liz moved, but Lisa laid a hand on the woman's shoulder. "_**I was never good enough for you**_!" Joey yelled, tears coming to his eyes. He sank to his knees in pain and exhaustion. "You," he said, just above a whisper.

Seto moved to Joey quickly, kneeling at his friend's level and laid his hands on Joey's shoulders. "Joey, I've been there too. It's okay to be angry."And instead of waiting for Lisa, Seto pulled Joey into a brotherly hug. "It's okay. Lisa taught me that much."

Joey moved so he was looking at Seto's face. "Thanks, Seto, I-urgh!" Joey grunted and felt the world begin to spin.

"Joey?!" Seto asked, alarmed. Lisa was already moving. Joey felt himself shutting down, and could hear his friends yelping in alarm. And then he surrendered to the blackness at the edge of his vision.

At Lisa's command, Seto and Tristan quickly moved Joey's inert form out of the squalid room. "He's just fainted," Lisa said. "We'll let him rest a few minutes. Serenity, get a washcloth and wet it down with cold water. Guys, put Joey on the bed in his room." Tristan and Seto nodded and did as ordered while Serenity did her job.

After a few minutes, Joey came around. "Go slowly, Joey," Lisa said as she checked his pulse. "You just fainted, but I think you'll be okay."

"I fainted?" he asked weakly. She nodded. "Oh, great," he groaned.

"Just stay lying down for a couple of minutes, okay?" she said softly. "Mai, you can come in now," she called in a slightly louder voice. The statuesque blonde girl walked into the room quickly and sat down in the seat the young doctor now vacated. "Just keep him calm, will you, Mai?" The girl nodded and took Joey's hand.

"You idiot, you scared me," she said softly, brushing his hair back.

"Sorry," he apologized, contrite. He tried to sit up, but Mai made sure he stayed down.

"Just rest. I don't want you passing out again. Lisa said it was probably because you just got overtaxed." Joey nodded, but started to hate himself for being "weak." "You're not being weak, Joey," she said. "Sorry, you didn't have your shields up, hon."

"It's okay, Mai. I like bein' an open book with you," he admitted. "I can't believe I did that. Fainted, I mean."

"Grandpa, the Taylors and the Gardners had to go in the living room because of the smell. Don't worry about what you did, Joey. Everybody else is sorting out stuff. All you'll have to worry about is picking out anything you'd like to keep or donate."

"Okay," Joey said. "Hey, Mai?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you want to go for a swim later if Lisa says it's okay?" He was thinking of the warm water of the Kaiba mansion pool and how beautiful Mai would look in a pretty swimsuit. "I mean, we don't have to."

Mai smiled, thinking of how Joey would look in swim trunks. She liked that mental picture. "That would be great," she said. "I hope Lisa does approve."

After a few more minutes, Joey was allowed to get up and head back to his late dad's bedroom. Everybody in the room looked up. "I'm okay," he said as he held onto Mai's hand. "Let's finish this." He sat down in a chair and sorted. There were a few pieces of his father's valuables that Joey wanted to keep, but there wasn't much at all in the room that Joey wanted to keep. And so, within the next hour, Joey's father's room was cleared. The apartment was now cleared.

"I've got a cleaning crew that will go in and clean everything, Joey. You should get your security deposit back," Seto said. Joey gave him a weary smile as he quickly walked through the apartment, checking carefully through the place for anything the group might've missed.

Finally, there was nothing more to do. Everyone filed out of the apartment quietly and Joey was the last one out. He took the key out of his pocket again and as he locked the door, he whispered, "Goodbye, Dad."

_Definitely not a happy chapter, dear readers. I hope you enjoyed it all the same. I hope the next chapter makes you smile a bit more. Read and review, everyone!_


	38. The Trial

Chapter XXXII: The Trial

_Welcome back, everyone, to "The Jedi League of Duelists." Thanks again to my loyal reviewers, and I'd like to say hi to anybody new who's joined the story. There will actually be a duel in this chapter for those of you who are wondering and it actually doesn't involve light sabers; it does, however, involve Duel Monsters. If you have any questions regarding this story, or just comments, don't hesitate to drop them. I'll answer them as best I can. I hope you enjoy this short chapter. I believe it will surprise you a bit. Joey fans…I believe you will be pleased._

_**Disclaimer: **__Peach Wookiee doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh or Star Wars. She just loves what has been created and owns DVDs, CDs and some VHS tapes. And a few words some time later: Just some minor tweaks were made in this chapter._

After Joey exited the apartment he'd lived in with his father for six years, he felt calm. Sad, yes, but calm as well. "So what now?" he asked Lisa. She smiled.

"Well, Joey, now that you mention it, this evening, I want you to relax. Tomorrow, you need to be in a mental state of readiness."

"Huh?" he asked, a stunned look on his face. "What do you mean, Leese?"

"Joey, you have been through a lot in the last few months. I think you've been through enough that you may ready to test to be the first Jedi Knight after me." Everyone gasped in surprise. "I know you guys weren't expecting that," she smiled wryly, "but Joey has definitely proven that he's ready. We all have shown that we can do defensive powers and I know we haven't worked on certain techniques, but there is more to being a Jedi than simply being able to use light sabers or defensive shielding. A Jedi must trust his or her feelings and also keep them under control. Joey, tomorrow your test will likely be based on that. Be ready for anything…that is, if you want to do it."

Joey's brown eyes widened as he looked at his friends and family. "Me? You think I'm ready, Leese? Really?" He couldn't believe it that he would be the first. "I mean…whoa. I'm…honored. And I'll do my best. Can you give me a hint, though, what I'm gonna be tested on?" She shook her head as they walked to the cars.

"You'll be ready for whatever I throw at you, Joey, I promise, but for the rest of today, you will relax. Would you all like to come over to the mansion for a swim and some dinner?" Several heads nodded, but the Taylors couldn't.

"We're sorry, Lisa. We'd love to join you guys," Amanda apologized, "but Arianna's bringing Chandler and Andrew over for supper tonight."

"That's perfectly all right," Lisa smiled, knowing Tristan wouldn't pass up the chance to see his nephew, Andrew. "Enjoy!" Teá and her family also opted for a quiet dinner at home. The rest of the group, though, was content to have a swim and dinner at the mansion. But first, they had to stop by Domino High. And so, once the group arrived at the school, the adults climbed out of their limo, while the kids climbed out of theirs. Tristan and his parents got into the adults' limo and were driven back home.

"Want me to come in with you, babe?" Seto asked. "We could all come."

She shook her head. "I think I can manage it, honey. So where are the teachers' offices?"

Teá answered, "They should be in the teachers' lounge this time of the afternoon, Lisa. It's on the second floor near the soda machine. You sure you don't need us to come with you?" Lisa shook her head again.

"Perfectly sure." And with that, Lisa headed into the building. She stopped at the shoe lockers and got a pair of guest slippers on, and then headed into the main part of the school. She quickly found the teachers' lounge and asked to see the English teacher, Miss Kobashigawa and Mrs. Thomas, the math teacher. The teachers came out from the lounge into the hall.

"Hello, I'm Lisa Hammond," the teen girl introduced herself. The first teacher, a plump Japanese woman, shook the teen doctor's hand.

"I'm Miss Kobashigawa, and I've heard a lot about you!"

"And I'm Mrs. Thomas," the other teacher, a plump woman of Eastern Indian descent, greeted. "So you're Mr. Kaiba's fiancée? You've really made a difference with him. He used to be so…combative in class. Now, he's become an active participant and a much happier student."

"I'm glad to hear it. But I'm not here for Seto. I'm actually here on Joey Wheeler's behalf. I wanted to ask if you would possibly take his papers and grade them. He had them done on the night his dad almost…well, you know." They nodded.

Miss Kobashigawa took Joey's paper. "Well, ordinarily, I wouldn't take a late paper, but this is an extraordinary circumstance. Give me a few minutes, and I'll have it graded and you can take it back to him." Mrs. Thomas also took Joey's algebra paper. They invited Lisa to wait in the teachers' lounge, so she sat down, making herself comfortable in an overstuffed blue couch. The two teachers went through the papers and then handed them back to the young doctor. "Joey did really well on this paper," Miss Kobashigawa commented. "It looks like he really took time to do it. It's also much stronger than he usually does. I used to think it was because he didn't pay attention, but now…well, I realize a lot more." Mrs. Thomas said something similar, and they followed Lisa out to the entrance of the school. "Tell the kids we said hello and that we miss having them in class."

"With pleasure. Thank you, both," Lisa said as she headed to the cars. Seto was walking toward her. She flashed him a smile and he smiled back.

_That good?_ he sent.

_Yeah, honey. It's that good!_ She trotted up to the car, papers in hand. "Joey?"

"Yeah, Leese? Lemme guess; it was bad," Joey sighed. Lisa sighed too, but for a different reason. Joey had been coerced into believing that he was nothing and could do no good. But now he was about to get a surprise.

"Look for yourself," she said with a smile. "I think, Joey, you'll be pleased." He took the papers, looked at them, and then a dazed expression came over his face.

"What the..? Is this right?" he asked. Lisa nodded. "Then…I actually got…As?! Seriously?!" Lisa nodded again, smiling.

"Joey, you did really well on that report and on your algebra homework. I think you'll be able to make up your test and do just fine," Lisa answered.

"But…I haven't gotten As since…Are these for real?" he asked, still in shock. "I gotta be dreamin'. Miss K. doesn't adjust grades, though…I actually did it." His face split into a grin. He held the papers proudly out to his mother. "See, Ma, I did it!"

"I see it, sweetie. I'll have to do something about that," the mother grinned proudly.

Joey remained in a contented daze for the rest of the car ride. _I did it. I actually got an A in class! And…whoa…could I actually be an okay student?_ He smiled at this thought. The group arrived at the mansion about 4:30 and everyone went and changed into swimsuits. Joey got down to the pool along with Seto, Mokuba, Duke and Yugi first. "This'll be fun," Joey said. "Seto, have you, uh… seen Leese in a swimsuit?"

"Actually," Seto said, "if you'll remember, I've seen her in less than that. But I have seen her in a swimsuit. It was the morning after we let each other know how we felt. Mokie and I were feeling better and we went out to the beach. She was nervous about me seeing her in a suit for the first time, but she really had nothing to worry about." Yugi blushed.

"I've seen Teá in swimsuits before but it's been awhile."

Duke grinned, "I've seen lots of lovely ladies in swimsuits. One of the perks of my dad working in Vegas." Joey was flushed, though. He'd never seen Mai in a swimsuit. And then Yugi's grandpa was down in his swim trunks.

"Thanks for having us here, Seto. It looks like a lovely pool," Solomon said. Seto smiled.

"I'm glad to share it, finally." Then Bakura came into the pool room.

"Hello, everyone. Oh, are the girls not down yet?" he asked politely.

"They're coming," Seto answered. And then Elizabeth came to the pool room. Elizabeth was in a one-piece black swimsuit that showed she was still a lovely woman though she was middle-aged. And then, the teen girls made their entrance. Serenity was wearing a navy blue one-piece suit. Mai, for her part, had selected a purple one-piece suit and Lisa was wearing the red halter top suit that she'd worn to the beach a few weeks before.

"Hey, guys," Lisa greeted contentedly. "Let's enjoy the water!" And the group got into the warm pool. Everyone swam and relaxed, Joey and Mokuba staying in the shallows, for the most part. Lisa, too, stayed in shallow water.

"Hey, Lisa, why aren't you out in deeper water?" Mai called, swimming over to her friend. "C'mon out, hon!" Lisa shook her head.

"I'm not a terribly good swimmer, Mai," Lisa admitted, blushing. "So I'm not very secure in deep water. My powers haven't really helped me with that yet." Joey, meanwhile, got himself out of the water.

"Hey, Leese, is it okay if I try cannonballs?" he asked eagerly. Lisa nodded and Joey went around to the deep end of the pool. The guys wisely moved out of the way. Joey moved, jumped, yelling "Cannonball!" He landed in the pool with a huge splash and he came up laughing.

"Okay, Joey, just take it easy," Lisa cautioned.

"Okay," Joey sighed. He would've loved to do more than one, but he was aching. He paddled around gently. Seto swam up next to him.

"Liking this, Joey?" he asked.

"Yeah, Seto. But I'd like it better if I could race ya."

"My fiancée wouldn't be too happy if I challenged you or if you challenged and I accepted. We'll race when you're up to it," Seto said. A little voice in him balked at this, but that voice, which had once been so prominent was now far quieter. And so he swam with Joey and the other boys, just enjoying their company.

"I wonder what Lisa has planned for your test, Joey," Tristan said. "At least we know it's not some freaky cave where you have visions and find out you were fighting yourself the whole time."

"But how do we know?" Duke asked, nervous. "Does she have the same test for all of us?"

"I wonder what my test'll be," Mokuba wondered.

"You guys will just have to find out when it's your time, won't you?" Lisa said, smiling as she paddled up to the boys. "Your tests will be as individual as you are, so I can't tell you what your tests will be. But you are right, Tristan. No freaky cave is involved for Joey. But enough about the test today, guys. Anything fun coming up, besides the wedding in a week and a half?"

Yugi smiled and answered, "Well, Grandpa's birthday's this Saturday. I'm still figuring out what to do. We usually have dinner."

"How old will he be?" Seto asked.

"He'll be 76. He says he's glad to have made it to that age. He almost died before Dad was born. That was the trip to Egypt when he found the Millennium Puzzle. He got shot, but something happened. He didn't know how he was okay, but he was when he came to outside the tomb he was in. Grandpa's had an interesting life and that's not including what happened before Duelist Kingdom."

"Hmmm…" Seto looked thoughtful. "Yugi, could Lisa, Mokie and I do something for your grandpa's birthday? Nothing too big, but something?"

"Uh, sure," Yugi said. "Thanks."

"No problem," Seto said.

After the swim, everyone had dinner and then those not staying at the mansion headed home. Lisa told them that they should go to school tomorrow and not worry about Joey. "He'll be okay and we'll tell you if he passed."

"Leese, can't you give me a hint?" Joey asked later.

"No, Joey, but I can tell you that it won't physically hurt you," she answered. After making sure he was okay, she headed to her and Seto's bedroom and got into bed.

"Is he okay?" Seto asked softly, cuddling her close.

"Yeah," she said against his chest. "And I needed to talk to you about the test tomorrow."

"How come?"

"You're involved." He sat up, pulling her up with him. And then he looked straight into her eyes.

"What? Why?!" He was very surprised at this, but she only smiled.

"Yes, you are and it's because you boys have fought so much. You'll see in the morning," she said softly. "Good night, honey."

"Good night, babe," he said, kissing her softly.

Y

The next morning, the Wheelers, Kaibas, Mai and Lisa awoke quickly. Lisa got her shower first, got dressed and then requested that Seto give her his dueling deck. Then she headed into Joey's bedroom and after checking him, asked the same thing. "My deck?" Joey asked. "Leese, what's goin' on?"

"I'll tell you what I told Seto; you'll find out after breakfast. Just relax and eat up. You'll need your strength, Joey."

"What's she up to?" Joey asked Seto later as they headed to the library where Lisa had told them to go. "I mean, she usually tells us what's goin' on, but now…"

"I know; she doesn't seem to want me to know about it," Seto responded. "She just said to be ready for whatever she was going to do." The prospect of not being in complete control was difficult for Seto, but he accepted it today. Together the boys made their way into the library and saw Lisa standing at a small table.

"Gentlemen, welcome to the Jedi trial. Joey, sit here," she said, gesturing at one seat. "Seto, you sit here. Your cards are cut and the playing field is ready. As Yugi would say, it's time to duel."

"A duel?" Joey asked, eyes widening in shock.

"A duel?" Seto repeated, also shocked.

"A duel," Lisa said gently. "You two must duel. And let's see if you can keep your heads." She moved away from them and sat down in a chair quietly.

"All right, Seto," Joey said, "let's do this."

"Yeah, and none of my usual crap this time," the blue-eyed teen boy answered. They drew their first hands and began.

Not quite an hour later, Joey smiled. "Red Eyes Metal Dragon now is in attack mode and since you've got nothin' on the field, I just took all your life points. Good game, man."

Only two months ago, Joey would've been crowing immediately after such a victory. But today, he was calm and collected. And only a few short months ago, Seto would've been furious with himself for losing and cursing Joey out. But instead, he stood up and shook Joey's hand. "Good game, Joey. You beat me fair and square. That Copy Cat was a pretty neat card."

"Thanks, pal," the blonde boy answered. And then they noticed Lisa was standing up and smiling. "So?" Joey asked.

Her smile widened. "To approximate Yoda, Jedi knights, you both are."

Seto's eyes widened. "This was my test, too?"

"Your test was to see if you could react well to not being in complete control and if it came to that, keeping your head in defeat. Joey, your test was keeping your cool. You both passed, and you have both earned the title of Jedi Knight," she explained. "And now, I think a little celebration is in order." And then Mai, Elizabeth, Serenity, Mokuba, Roland and Bryce came into the room to celebrate.

_Wow, that's the shortest chapter I've written in some time. Sorry it took longer than expected, folks! I've been working on another GX fic which required a lot of research into the first anime-style cartoon I adored, Transformers. The story is called "The Touch." It's the first time I've actually written a duel, so if you want to see a duel written by a person who's never even dueled, go for it. Anyway, thanks to syrusfanatic12, dr-fan/mai-lover and Invader101 for reviewing. Read and review this one, folks!_


	39. Needing to Know

Chapter XXXIII: Needing to Know

_Hello again, followers of "The Jedi League of Duelists." Thank you for making this my second most reviewed story in my collection! I certainly hope you're still enjoying it and yes, we will have light sabers, but not quite yet. I'd like to welcome newcomer 15animefreak15 and Sakura999 to the story and those of you who have started reading recently. And thanks to all of you who have been faithfully reviewing and reading!_

_This will be a short chapter. We're getting close to the wedding and there's at least one thing that Seto must know before he and Lisa begin their life together._

_**Disclaimer: **__Peach Wookiee _**does not**_ own the Yu-Gi-Oh franchise. Nope, not at all. She also doesn't own Dr. Richard Weber from "Grey's Anatomy." She just thinks he's way cool!_

_**Author's notes, a few years later: **Very minor tweaks were made to the chapter._

The celebration of Seto James Kaiba and Joseph Aaron Wheeler becoming the first new Jedi knights was a short yet fun party. There was cake, teasing and a lot of laughter.

"Man, we're the first!" Joey said, pumping his fist in triumph.

"We are," Seto said, smiling a bit. But despite his happiness, there was something within him that was uncertain and worried. Nevertheless, he enjoyed the party with everyone. "It's going to be so quiet when you guys move into your house," he said to the Wheelers.

"Man, that's weird," Joey joked. "You'll actually miss havin' us around!"

"We definitely will," Lisa said, "but we'll all hang out a lot." She looked at Seto quietly after this as the others talked. A little bit later when Mai, Serenity and Elizabeth had gone to their room and Joey and Mokuba had gone to play _Super Smash Brothers_, Lisa pulled her fiancé aside for a moment.

"Honey, what is it?" she asked softly. "What's wrong?" Seto sighed.

"Babe, I've been worried. Not about us getting married," he said quickly, looking at her now-slightly frightened face, "but…Leese, I'm scared I'll lose you."

"Lose me? What?" She was puzzled for a minute. "I don't understand."

"We want kids, right?" She nodded. "Lisa, I'm scared that what happened to my mom will happen to you. And I'm scared that what happened to my dad will happen to me. I don't know for sure what killed her. And babe, I need to know." He pulled her against him in a tight hug. "I need to know if…" His throat tightened painfully.

"We can find out, Seto. Was Mokuba born at Domino Children's or Domino General?"

"Domino General," he answered softly. "Why?"

"I think I can pull the records today, if you want, then. But…" She looked nervous as she met his eyes. "Honey, we need to contact your mom's sister, if possible."

"Aunt Ariel," Seto groaned softly. "I know where she is, but she didn't care to know where we were or if we were okay. She and Uncle Bob didn't want us." His eyes flashed with a combination of pain and rage. "They just threw us away." Now it was Lisa's turn to pull her love close.

"Did they say why they couldn't?"

"No."

"Then let's find out why. Seto, darling, I want you to be okay and happy. And I want to have your babies and not have you scared that something will happen to me. We'll face it together, whatever we find out, okay?" He nodded.

"Okay, babe. Let's do it." Seto took Lisa to his home office to find the number for his Aunt Ariel, his mother's sister and only sibling. "I haven't talked to her since Dad's funeral," he admitted. "She came with her husband, listened to the eulogy, patted us both on the heads and told us to enjoy the orphanage because it was better than we deserved." His eyes glittered suspiciously.

"Do you want me to talk to her first?" she asked kindly. He nodded, so Lisa took the phone number and dialed. The phone rang twice, and a woman's voice answered.

"Hello, Porter residence, Ariel speaking," a kind female voice answered.

"Hello, Mrs. Porter," Lisa said, "my name is Lisa Hammond and I'd like to talk to you about your sister."

"Oh, you're the one who's marrying my pathetic nephew. Well, I hope you know what you're getting into. He was my sister's little brat, anyway." Her voice changed from kind to cruel in an instant.

"Mrs. Porter, I don't know what happened between you and your sister, but please refrain from disrespecting my future husband and brother-in-law."

"You're just an arrogant little XXXXX, aren't you? Well, that figures. So what do you want?"

"I would like to ask if Seto may have access to his mother's medical records. Is that all right with you?"

"Fine," Ariel growled, "but before we say goodbye, let me tell you that…" And what followed was a diatribe about Seto's mother, Seto and Mokuba that brought Lisa to tears.

"How can you say that?" Lisa asked. "Seto is a sweet, loving young man and Mokuba is a darling!"

"You're an idiot," Ariel said. Perhaps she would've said more to Lisa, but then Seto snatched the phone from his fiancée, furious.

"Don't you _**ever **_speak to my fiancée that way again! She loves me and Mokuba, and I have one question for you…Yes I do, and I expect an answer. Why did you leave us at the orphanage?" Lisa enhanced her hearing and knew why Seto paled. And then Ariel hung up on him. "You heard what she said?" he asked, eyes horribly haunted.

"Seto, she has no heart…it's not your fault. She was jealous of your mother. I could sense it. It's easy for her to say such hateful things. You are wonderful, and so is Mokuba, and I know you both had a wonderful mother who loved you both. Ariel is angry that she wasn't given two beautiful children and so she took it out on you." She hugged him. "Now we're going to go to Domino General and find out the truth about what happened to Adina. You need to know, but so does Mokie."

Seto nodded. "He's blamed himself for what happened to Mom and then what happened to Dad, and Aunt Ariel and Uncle Bob." He closed his eyes a moment and she listened to the beating of his heart. Finally, he drew back, tilting her chin upward and looking into her eyes. "He needs to know more than I do."

"You both need to know, darling." She hugged him tightly again, wanting to strengthen him.

"Hey, guys?" Mokuba asked, peering around the door. The couple could now sense that six others were behind the little boy. "Is everything okay?" Seto gently released Lisa and knelt, holding his arms out. Mokuba walked to his brother and hugged him.

"Mokie, I talked to Aunt Ariel." Seto explained, holding his brother close. "She wasn't very nice to Lisa." Mokuba met his brother's eyes.

"Why? Why would she be mean to Lisa, big brother?"

"I don't know, but Mokie, we're going to go to Domino General in a bit. I have to know what really happened with Mom. If you want to come with, you can, but I'll understand if you don't want to, okay?" Mokuba nodded.

"Seto, I wanna come. I wanna know, too."

Seto pulled him close. "I wish Dad had never told you, and I wish…"

Mokuba's eyes were sad. "You couldn't protect me on that, big bro. I would've figured out that Mommy died on my birthday."

"But the way Dad told you…"

Mokuba shook his head and held onto his brother. Lisa decided now would be a good time to step out of the room. "Lisa, what happened, hon?" Mai asked, amethyst eyes narrowed in concern.

"Seto and I talked with his Aunt Ariel; she…wasn't exactly nice," the teen doctor sighed. "She did, however, give her consent for Seto to pull his mom's medical records. Seto wants to know what happened when Mokuba was born; he's afraid of when we have kids that something might happen to me. I don't blame him for being worried."

Joey sighed. "She called you names?" Lisa nodded. "Man, you're like one of the nicest people on the planet! But you guys are lookin'?"

"Yeah. We have to know the truth," she answered. Roland, Bryce, Liz and Serenity had been silent.

Serenity sighed. "I can't understand how they could stand not knowing."

And then Roland sighed. "Mr. Kaiba's been protective of his little brother as you all know. And that's meant trying to protect him from situations he might blame himself for." Lisa nodded in agreement with this. "But Mr. Kaiba has realized he can't do that anymore. So Lisa, I assume you'll be going shortly?"

Lisa would have answered, but at that moment, Seto came out of the room with Mokuba. "We will be going in a little bit everyone, and Roland, I'd like it if you'd come along. Bryce, you can stay here with everyone else." Bryce inclined his head. "Roland, I'd like to talk to you privately," the teen CEO added. The kids all raised their mental shields so Seto would have some privacy and the boy and the security man went back into the office.

"What is it, Mr. Kaiba?" Roland asked as Seto closed the door. "Do you want me to stay outside of the hospital? I can…"

"Roland, I need you as moral support, and right now I just want to be Seto." The eldest Kaiba brother had become true to what he was; a teenage boy who needed guidance. "I guess I don't need a security guard now, so much as I need…a dad." Seto swallowed. "You…remind me of how my dad used to be before…" He trailed off.

Roland Isono took a good look at his boss. _He looks like Rolly; they're the same age and they're so different, but right now, they're alike._ "Seto, may I give you a hug?" he asked. Seto nodded, taking the offered hug gladly. "I'll be here, okay?" He felt Seto nod against his shoulder.

"Thanks, Roland," Seto said softly as he let go. "Leese? Mokie?"

The two came into the room, looking concerned. "Seto, honey, are you okay?" Lisa asked. Mokuba looked up at his brother, also worried.

"I'm okay, and Roland's a bit more than just a security man now. He and Bryce are practically family," Seto said. "We're all going."

"Okay," Lisa answered. "I'll call ahead to Dr. Weber at Domino General. He can have the records pulled for me."

She dialed the number from memory and a very warm bass male voice answered, "This is Dr. Richard Weber."

"Hi, Dr. Weber, this is Lisa Hammond."

"Lisa, how are you, kiddo?"

She smiled. "Better. I'm getting married!"

"I heard. Congratulations to you and the young man! So what do I owe the pleasure of this call?"

"Dr. Weber, my fiancé would like to have his mother's medical records pulled. He has the consent of his mother's sister."

"We only need his, since he's an emancipated minor and the nearest surviving relative. So when do you want to do this?"

"As soon as possible, Doctor. Can we do it in an hour or so?"

"How old are the records?"

"Over nine years. Her name was Adina Justine Delaney and she died July 7, 1994. We're not sure of the cause of death, but she died shortly after her youngest son's birth. The boys don't know the cause of death, but their father said that the youngest boy killed his mother and…Dr. Weber, no child should live with believing that."

"I understand, Lisa. Come when you're ready. I'll be here to meet you. Come at the main entrance, all right?"

"Yes, Dr. Weber. Thank you!" They said goodbye and Lisa hung up. "You guys ready?" she asked her future husband, brother-in-law and surrogate father-in-law. They nodded and together, the four bade goodbye to the Wheelers, Mai and Bryce, went outside and climbed into a limo. Mokuba sat between his brother and future sister-in-law, needing to just be cuddled. None of the four in the passenger section of the limousine spoke, merely taking comfort in each other's presence. This was not going to be easy, but they could face it together. All too soon, they arrived at Domino General Hospital. Seto, Lisa, Mokuba and Roland stepped out of the limo and went inside.

"Hello, Dr. Hammond," a middle-aged yet still handsome African-American man with a goatee greeted. "And this must be…"

"This is my fiancé, Seto Kaiba, his brother, Mokuba and our good friend and security man, Roland Isono." After the introductions were made, Dr. Weber's expression became serious.

"We have a small conference room ready for you and I'll bring in the records personally. I didn't want to trust these records to other people." He led the small group to a conference lounge on the second floor and had an orderly bring coffee for Seto and Roland, tea for Lisa and hot chocolate for Mokuba. Then he left to get the records. Seto beckoned Mokuba to him and the little boy climbed into his brother's lap and arms as if he were still a child of five.

"Mokie," Seto said, holding his brother tightly to him, "whatever we find out…what happened to Mom wasn't your fault. Remember that."

"Seto," Mokuba whispered. And Lisa got out of her chair and hugged the boys. Then to her surprise, Roland got up from where he was sitting and hugged the three kids he'd sworn to protect. She and the other boys sensed Roland's emotions, that of fatherly love.

"It's okay, you three," he said softly. They stayed like that for a moment. And then Lisa sensed Dr. Weber returning. They released from the hug and the males got back in their chairs while Lisa remained standing.

"Here they are, Lisa. Just remember to return them to the records room when you finish."

"Thank you, Dr. Weber," she said, shaking his hand. He nodded and left the room. Lisa's hands shook slightly. "This is it."

Seto pulled her chair out for her and helped her sit down. "Mokie, c'mere." The little boy came over to his brother and Seto sat down with his little brother in his lap. "Leese?"

She stopped before she opened it. "Guys…I think…we need to pray before we do this…"

"Pray?" Mokuba asked, eyes wide. But Seto didn't look surprised Lisa would say this.

"Go ahead, babe; I think we could use the help."

And so Lisa took Seto's hand and Mokuba held his brother's other hand. And then Roland took Mokuba's free hand and Lisa's free hand. She took a breath and prayed. "Dear Lord, we come to You to ask You for Your peace as we search for the answer to what happened to Adina. Help us to accept what happened and find peace in those answers. In Your Name, amen. Are we ready?" she asked the boys. They nodded and sat down. And she opened the folder.

The first page of the file showed a happy young woman who looked a great deal like the little boy now sitting in his brother's arms. "She was awfully pretty," Lisa said. "Her eyes were a little different than yours, Mokuba, but you two look almost identical."

Seto smiled at this, ruffling his brother's mop of long hair. "Yeah. What do you think, Mokie?" Mokuba said nothing, and only smiled. Lisa flipped through a few pages, finding information on Seto's birth.

"Seto, you were delivered by C-section, did you know that?" his fiancée asked.

"No, I didn't," he answered, surprised. "Is that important, Leese?"

"It may be." She flipped through a few more pages and to the coroner's report. "Here it is. According to this… 'Subject experienced catastrophic internal hemorrhaging due to rupture of the uterine wall.'"

"Huh?" Mokuba asked. "Hemorrhaging? Uter-what?"

"Hemorrhaging means really heavy bleeding and uterine means something having to do with the uterus, Mokuba," the teen doctor explained. "The uterus is the place in the mommy's tummy where the baby is until it's time to come out. 'Rupture was caused by…' Oh, my." She took a deep breath and let it out. "There was undetectable scar tissue at the spot where the rupture occurred. This was a freak thing. This happens in less than one percent of cases. Sometimes, everything looks okay after the C-section and then, something happens."

Seto held his brother close. "So Dad blamed the wrong son; it was my fault." His eyes became sad and haunted.

"Seto," Mokuba whispered, hugging his brother tight.

"No, it wasn't your fault, honey," Lisa said. "It was a freak thing. Nobody could've predicted it and nobody could've prevented it. Please don't put yourself down the path that you didn't want your brother going down, darling." She closed the file, and Seto stood with Mokuba in his arms. The little family hugged close.

"So I didn't kill Mommy," the small boy said.

"Neither of us did, Mokie," his brother answered. "I'm going to take Lisa's advice; we can't blame ourselves anymore. Thanks, babe." Lisa smiled, and nothing more needed to be said. She took the records back, and the group went home, knowing the truth.

_And there we are, guys! Sorry it took so long! Please read and review!_


	40. To The Winds

Chapter XXXIV: To The Winds

_Welcome back, everyone, to the next chapter of "The Jedi League of Duelists!" I'm so glad you're all still enjoying this story of mine and I'm pleased to welcome new reviewer Star Holder Commander and my reviewer sisters 15animefreak15 and syrusfanatic12 and faithful reviewers Invader101 and dr-fan/mai-lover. If you haven't reviewed before, please feel free! And thank you all for making this the first story of mine to go to 100 reviews! YAY! Sorry it took so long to get this one up, but I've been collaborating with 15animefreak15._

_**Disclaimer: Peach Wookiee doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh.**_

_**Author's notes, a few years later:**__ Very little changed in this chapter, though some redundancies were eliminated._

Seto, Lisa, Mokuba and Roland returned home, all feeling relieved and a great deal better. "What did you find out?" Mai asked Lisa as they walked down the hall with Serenity and Liz.

"It was a freak thing, so Mokuba's felt guilty all this time for something that wasn't his fault. And Seto finally knows the truth, so he's not afraid now," Lisa smiled.

"That's wonderful, Lisa, hon," Mai said, patting her friend on the shoulder."What a great way to spend our last night here. Joey and Seto are the first new Jedi knights and you, Seto and Mokuba know the truth. Tomorrow's going to be another great day." Mai was referring to the Wheelers moving into their new home just a few blocks from Domino High School and within walking distance of Kaiba Corp.

"You can stay here as long as you need to, Mai," Lisa said.

"Elizabeth said that I could stay with her, Serenity and Joey. I'm probably going to spend some time with Yugi and Grandpa, but somehow I'm not ready yet. I'll have dinner with them, but staying at the house… I don't know. Lisa, it's hard. I love my little brother and my grandpa, but…am I pushing them away?" She suddenly looked worried. "I don't want to do that."

"Mai…" Lisa chose her words carefully. "They know you've been through a lot and they love you unconditionally. Solomon and Yugi are probably just glad you want a relationship. And they will do what they need to do to make you feel safe and comfortable. And when you've never really had friends or a family, you've made big steps already. They'll be there and you know Yugi won't give up on you." The blonde girl nodded and hugged the shorter blonde-brown haired girl.

"Lisa, there's something I'd like to do." Lisa nodded, listening.

Meanwhile, down the hall, Joey sat staring at a piece of paper. Today a note had been delivered from a local funeral home, telling him that his father's ashes were ready. _Now what?_ Joey asked himself. _I'll do what I wanted to do, but should I do it right away? Not tonight; maybe tomorrow._

Seto, too, was thinking of doing something difficult the next day. He walked down to his room, Mokuba following. "Seto? Seto, what's wrong?" the little boy asked. But Seto walked as if in a trance. He headed to his bedroom safe, and opened it, removing something.

"Mokuba," he said finally, "little brother, I'm going to do what I should've done when we buried Daddy. I should've burned this." He held in his hand his father's suicide note. "I'm burning it and I'm going to scatter the ashes."

"When, bro?" Mokuba asked.

"Before Leese and I get married next Saturday. I want to have made peace with the past so the three of us can look at the future and be happy." Seto looked at his brother and said, "This is about you, me and Lisa, okay?" Mokuba nodded in understanding.

After a few minutes, Joey emerged from his room as Lisa finished talking with Mai. "I think we can do what you'd like to do, Mai. We can do it tomorrow, if you want. But you're sure you want to burn it?"

The tall blonde female looked at the smaller young woman and nodded. "I need to release it. If I burn the diary to ashes, I don't have to look at it again. And maybe I can make peace."

"Hey, girls," Joey said, coming up to them. "Burn what, Mai?" he asked.

"My mom's diary, the one that told how I got here," Mai explained to her boyfriend as he wrapped her in a hug. "I need…if I can't change my past, I need to make peace and let the bad parts go."

"Well," Joey said, "I want to ditch Dad's ashes tomorrow. I got the news yesterday that they're ready and I want to scatter them at Hannity's Point."

"Near the lighthouse," Mai said.

"We could do it together," Joey offered.

"You sure? I mean…isn't that kind of private?" she asked softly.

"Mai, I need you; I…need everybody," Joey answered. The two of them stood together, embracing for a long moment. "Lisa, can we do that tomorrow?"

"Of course," she answered. Just then, Seto came out of his and Lisa's room with Mokuba in tow.

"Is everything okay?" the teen multi-billionaire asked, coming up to them. Lisa told him what was going on. "Hmmm, we must all be in this mood. I was going to burn my dad's…note so it's not here anymore. I was thinking I'd get rid of it soon, before the wedding."

Joey looked thoughtful. "Maybe…maybe we could say good-bye together. I mean, Seto, you need to release this, and Mai, you do too. Let's release it together, 'cause none of us should do it alone."

"Joey," Seto said. "Don't you want to say good-bye to your dad and have it be your thing?" Joey shook his head.

"I think us doin' it together is a good thing. We could do it tomorrow evening. If the winds cooperate, that is." The other two nodded. "Leese? Can we do it?" Lisa nodded.

"If you're all sure this is something you want to do together, yes." Joey, Mai and Seto nodded. "Okay, then, you should make your plans together and tomorrow evening after we've got you guys settled in, Joey and Mai, we can go to Hannity's Point and do it, all right?" They nodded again.

And so that evening after dinner, Seto, Joey and Mai worked together on what they would say at the point the next evening. When they were done with that, Mai was thoughtful. "I've got to figure out what to do for Grandpa's birthday on Saturday. Joey, do you know what I could do? I mean…"

Joey smiled. "Mai, he'll love anything you give him. You're his granddaughter."

"I just don't know what to do. You know him better than I do," she said shyly.

"Hmmm…" Joey stroked his chin thoughtfully. "He likes antiques; maybe somethin' like that." Mai nodded thoughtfully.

"I'd have Saturday morning. Thanks, Joey." He nodded. And it was the last night that the Wheelers and Mai would be at the Kaiba Mansion as residents. Joey snuggled down in his bed about two hours after dinner, knowing tomorrow would be both wonderful and sad. Mai thought the same as she snuggled down in bed with Liz and Serenity for what probably would be the last time.

Meanwhile, in Seto and Lisa's room, the young man was strangely quiet. "Seto," she asked, "honey, are you all right?" She slipped her arms around him from behind. "You're worried about tomorrow." He nodded.

"Babe, letting go can be difficult. It'll be okay," he said. "I am glad I'm not facing it alone, though, and…I think Joey and Mai are glad of that, too. We all figured out what we're going to say, and then we'll scatter our pasts to the winds. But first, we'll do something happy."

"Yeah, we will," she smiled. Together they got into bed and fell asleep, but at one in the morning were awakened by a soft voice.

"Big brother? Big sister?" Instantly, Lisa was awake and Seto was, too. Mokuba was right next to the bed and his big gray eyes were full of sleep and fear.

"Mokuba, what's wrong, sweetie?" Lisa asked, pulling the little boy up on the bed with her and Seto.

"I had a bad dream. Can I sleep with you guys?" he asked softly.

"Sure, Mokie," Seto said. "C'mon, you can sleep between us." The small boy climbed between his big brother and future sister-in-law. "Want to tell us about it?" the young man asked.

Mokuba sighed. "All I remember is that it was scary. I heard a lot of screaming, but I think I'm okay now, guys." The small boy yawned, already falling asleep. His eyes closed and he drifted off. Lisa kissed his forehead.

"Good night, angel," she whispered. "Good night, honey," she added, kissing Seto gently on the lips.

"Night, Leese," he answered. "Night, Mokuba." And soon all three were fast asleep again, dreaming peacefully.

Y

The next morning, Mokuba was the first person in the mansion to wake up. At first, he didn't remember where he was, but then he saw who he was sleeping between. He got up quietly and slipped out of bed. He snuck out of the room and went to his own bedroom to clean up and get ready for the busy day ahead. Today was the day Joey, Serenity and Liz moved into their new home. _I've got to be ready. All right, now what?_ He wandered into his bathroom, got a shower and then went and got jeans and a blue long-sleeved t-shirt on, as well as socks and sneakers. By the time he was done, his brother was up and out of his room.

"Good morning, Mokuba. I wondered where you went," Seto said, getting his morning hug.

"I got dressed, big brother, and I didn't want to wake you and Lisa. Do I look okay?"

Seto smiled. "You look great, kiddo. Ready to work today?"

"Yeah! And we'll do some fun stuff!" Seto ruffled his little brother's hair in response.

Before long, Lisa, Mai and the Wheelers were up and dressed, ready to face the day. "So, today, we move!" Joey said contentedly. "Won't be as big as this place, will it? But that's okay!"

"Yeah," Seto said. "Your mom needs to be able to pay the mortgage, after all, Joey. But I think you'll like the house. You guys have a decent backyard and good-sized rooms."

"Thanks, pal," Joey said. "How do we pay you back?"

"You don't, Joey," Seto answered. "I've been making up for things…and I want…"

"Will you knock it off, already?" Joey sighed. "You've made up for it!"

"He's right, you know," Lisa said. "But Joey, just consider this a gift, all right? We want to do this for you guys. It's a privilege to help you."

Just then, the phone rang. The maid came in a moment later. "Miss Valentine, your brother is calling. Are you available to speak with him?" Mai nodded and took the phone.

"Hello?... Oh, hi, little brother…Yeah?...You want to do that today?..Okay…Domino Cemetery?..All right…Yeah, I want to see where they are!..Thanks, Yugi…I'll be ready…Yeah, love you too…Bye. Yugi wants to take me to meet…our parents," she explained when she ended the phone call.

"He's taking you to the cemetery?" Seto asked. Mai nodded. "Hmmm, would you guys mind if I went with you. I won't intrude; it just so happens that I was going to head out there today. I could give you guys a ride, if you wanted."

"I'll call him back and see if he wouldn't mind," Mai said. She ran and made the call. Yugi didn't mind. "He said okay and he's ready when you are."

Seto nodded. "Okay. Will you guys be okay here?" he asked the others.

"Sure, honey," Lisa answered. "We'll be ready to go when you get back, all right? Oh, is Mokuba..?" At that moment, the teen CEO knelt at his brother's level.

"Mokie…I need to do this part alone, okay? But I'll take you out to see Mom and Dad soon, before the wedding, okay?" Mokuba sighed and nodded. A short time later, Seto climbed into the limo with Mai. "You all right, Mai?"

"Yeah," she said. "This is just the first big thing I've done with Yugi. I'll finally meet my parents…in a way."

"Yeah…Mai, it's going to be okay; you're lucky to have Yugi. I know it's not exactly the same, but I know how lucky I am to have Mokie."

"I think you're right. Having a little brother is good." They fell into a comfortable silence and soon arrived at the Mutos. Mai climbed out of the car to go get her brother. Yugi, having seen the car from his bedroom window, came out of the front door and ran and hugged his sister. Solomon, too, came out to give his granddaughter a warm hug.

"Hi, honey," Solomon greeted.

"Hey, Grandpa. Do you want to come with us?"

Solomon looked at Mai and smiled. "No, Mai. I need to stay here today and run the shop. Yugi, take care of your sister."

"Got it, Grandpa," Yugi said, and headed out to the car with Mai. "Hey, Seto," he greeted as he climbed in after Mai.

"Hey, Yugi. Are you ready?" The siblings nodded.

"I thought we should stop at the flower shop before we go to the cemetery. Is that all right?" Seto asked.

"Sure," Yugi said, looking at his sister. Mai nodded, agreeing. And so the band of three headed to a flower shop.

"Yugi," Seto asked as they entered, "why don't you pick out something for Mai and Tea?"

"Seto," Yugi looked a bit surprised and also edgy. "You don't have to…"

"It's all right. I'm picking up a bouquet for Leese. Go on." Yugi nodded and picked out a bouquet of orchids for Mai and some pink baby roses for Teá. Seto, meanwhile, selected a bouquet of sterling silver roses for Lisa and then the three teens picked bouquets for the graves. Seto paid for all of the flowers and then the three headed out to the car.

"Here, sis, I hope you like purple orchids," Yugi said, handing them to Mai.

"I do; thanks, little brother," Mai said, hugging him. He showed her the roses for Teá, and she grinned. "Nice choice. She's not looking forward to not taking dance lessons anymore."

"Yeah, I wish I could do something," Yugi sighed. Seto looked thoughtful.

"Yugi? Is that something you'd like to do for Teá?" Yugi nodded. "It'll be your gift, then…okay?" Yugi's eyes widened. "We'll let you know when it's ready…" Yugi nodded. In about 15 minutes, the trio arrived at the cemetery.

"C'mon, big sister," Yugi said, "let's go see Mom and Dad! You get to see my special place, Mai!" He led her by the hand through the cemetery and Seto, oddly enough, seemed to be following them. "Seto, are you coming with us?"

"We must have to go the same way," Seto answered, a little surprised. And then Seto stopped at his parents' graves. He expected Yugi and Mai to probably go further into the cemetery, but to his surprise, they stopped at the markers right next to his parents. "You've got to be kidding me," he said. "Yugi, Mai…are..?"

"Yeah, Mom and Dad are here; no way!" Yugi's eyes widened. "Seto, are these your mom and dad?!" Mai's eyes were wide, too.

Seto nodded. "Yeah. And to think we were fighting and they were… That sounds wrong. Sorry, Mom and Dad. Sorry, Mr. and Mrs. Muto."

"Hi, Mom, hi, Dad," Yugi greeted his parents. "This is Mai. And it turns out, she's my sister." Yugi sat down on the grass, totally at ease. "Oh, hi, Mr. and Mrs. Delaney. I'm Yugi and this is my sister, Mai. I know you and Mom and Dad knew each other, but Seto and I didn't remember; we were too little. And this is my big sister, Mai! I'm sorry Seto and I didn't start out on the best of terms."

"Mom, Dad, that was my fault," Seto said, also sitting down on the grass next to the other teens. "I've… well, it's been rough since you both left and I hope you're both proud of me. Anyway, you already know Yugi, I guess, and this is Mai. I didn't bring Mokuba today, but I'm going to bring him in the next week…" As strange as it might seem, the kids just sat and talked as if their parents were really there, talking back. And perhaps, Richard and Adina Delaney and David and Abby Muto were there with them even if the kids couldn't see. Finally, Yugi got up.

"Excuse me, guys, but there's somebody else I need to see." He got up, dusted himself off and walked a few rows down to a grave next to a willow tree. This grave was marked by an angel statue. Yugi visited the place whenever he came to see his parents and Grandma Muto. "Hi, Melissa," he said, laying a flower down on the grave. Mai had followed her brother and heard who it was. "Oh, Mai," the boy said, sensing his sister and turning around. "I guess I should tell you that I visit Melissa, too."

Mai came next to her brother, and for a moment, she was a six-year-old girl again, greeting her loving caregiver. "Hi, Nanny Lissa." Seto, meanwhile, wisely hung back at his parents' graves, enjoying the warm morning breeze. Finally, it was time to leave.

"You guys okay?" Seto asked. They nodded. "I'd…like to come back here with you sometime." They nodded. "Now, let's do something a little less serious."

Yugi grinned. "I can't wait to see Joey's new room!"

"I can't wait to see the new house!" Mai said happily.

Seto smiled a little as he helped the Muto siblings into the car. "I think you'll all be pleased, and with what Liz is making now, they'll live comfortably. Oh, and Lisa got Joey something really cool for his bedroom; I helped her with it."

"Yeah?" Yugi and Mai asked at the same time. Seto nodded.

"You'll all see in a bit," he grinned as they drove away from the graveyard.

Y

About two hours later, the group of teens, two security guards and one little boy stepped out of limousines parked in front of a nice two-story home surrounded by a nice front and back yard. "You won't have to worry about yard work for a bit," Seto said. "I've hired a gardening staff that you can keep or just keep on until Joey's strong enough to take over some duties if that's what you'd like." Elizabeth nodded, smiling. "The house is all furnished," Seto continued, "so you can just go right in and enjoy your new home."

"Oh, my," Elizabeth said. She took out the house key and headed to the front door, her children and her son's girlfriend right behind her. The mother unlocked the door, stepped in and was struck dumb. The entryway had oak hardwood floors and cream walls with a few oil paintings on them. Further, there were wall sconces that appeared to be from 16th century Italy and a very beautiful silver crucifix.

"Mom, did we just get dropped in a palace?" Joey asked in shock. "This…wow!" The entire group came into the house and was impressed. They all made their way into the living room. It was painted in a rich burgundy and the furniture was what Elizabeth had chosen a few days before. There were Tuscan-style mahogany tables, an overstuffed leather couch, loveseat and chair and a big-screen TV. "Whoa," Joey said again.

The group toured the house, seeing the kitchen, the family room, the laundry room, a small bathroom, and then upstairs to the master bedroom and bathroom. Then they came to a guestroom, Serenity's bedroom and finally stopped at Joey's room. "Holy…wow! What the heck?" the teen boy sputtered. His bedroom was a tribute to modern adolescent boys with sports posters and memorabilia, including a poster of the Seattle Seahawks running back Shaun Alexander, and it was autographed. "How'd you get that?!" Joey asked, shocked.

"I made some calls to the Seahawks office and they sent me a poster with Shaun's signature," Lisa explained. "But that's not all, Joey." Joey turned to where Lisa indicated and his jaw dropped.

"What's this? Did you guys make this?" "This" was a poster of Joey, Mai, Yugi and Seto. On the top of the poster was the legend, "Team YSJM," and below that was a picture of Yugi surrounded by the three other duelists, all but Seto smiling. And below that was "Duelist Kingdom 2003."

"It was Lisa's idea," Seto offered, smiling.

"Team YSJM, Lisa?" Yugi asked curiously, though he was certain he knew the answer.

"Yugi, Seto, Joey, Mai…the champions of Duelist Kingdom," Lisa grinned.

"Lisa, Seto wasn't officially part of the tournament, though," Yugi pointed out.

"Yeah, but he fought Pegasus like you guys did, and besides, that person who wears a flag bandanna on his head isn't fit to represent America and I for one would rather you guys all did," she grinned.

And then Joey looked over at his new bed and saw a leather-bound photo album. "Hey, what's this?" he asked as he sat down. Stamped on the green cover was Joey's name, the date he was brought into the hospital and "Domino Children's Hospital." "Lisa?" he probed.

She walked over from where she'd been standing and sat down next to him. "Joey, we made this when we weren't sure if you were going to make it. This album is like what Darla and her neo-natal staff do when they're not sure a baby is going to live." Puzzled, Joey opened the album, and on the first page were pictures of him as a baby. He turned the next page and saw pictures of himself as a little boy and then pictures of him in elementary school, junior high and in his school uniform at Domino High. And then he turned the page to see himself in a hospital bed in the ICU, hooked up to monitors and an oxygen mask. Then after the pictures were letters. "We all wrote these letters, Joey," Lisa explained. "They were for you and your mom and Serenity. When the neo-natal staff isn't sure a baby has very long, they write letters for the family to read about the baby, or from the baby; it's sweet and sad at the same time," she sighed. Joey swallowed.

"I guess I'll read these now," he said. Mai, Yugi and Serenity sat down on the bed as well and the others took seats on the plush carpet. And Joey began to read. The letters were from every one of his friends and they each described the emotions of the moment. Everyone hoped Joey would be okay and yet they were preparing themselves to say goodbye. Of all the letters though, Yugi's was the most heartbreaking. Joey could barely read it because Yugi had cried so much, soaking the paper. "Yuge," Joey began, looking over at his best friend as he finished reading, and then he saw the smaller boy in tears. "Yuge, I'm okay," he said, putting his arm around Yugi.

Yugi hugged Joey tightly, and for a moment wasn't able to talk. Finally, he managed, "That was the worst night of my life. You almost…Joey, I couldn't have stood it if…" And he buried his face in Joey's shirt. There was a part of Yugi to which that horrible night was still very fresh. He'd felt so terribly helpless, and it hurt to think that he might lose his brother. "Big bro," he whispered. And he felt the arms of his surrogate brother, Joey's sister and his own sister around him.

"Yuge…shh," Joey soothed. "It's all right, I'm still here, bro. Don't cry no more, okay?" Yugi looked up and wiped away the tears.

"Thanks, guys," he said finally.

Y

The rest of the day passed quickly. Everyone at the new Wheeler house enjoyed lunch and chatted happily. The boys played video games and the girls chatted in Serenity's bedroom. Then, before they knew it, it was time for everyone to head to Hannity's Point where three of their number would release elements of the past to the winds. Yugi's grandfather, Teá's parents, Tristan's parents and the Kaiba family security guards had come, and Joey's priest, Father Pat, had also come to pray over the kids and what they had to do as the sun set.

"Are you ready, kids?" the balding sixty-year-old priest asked, straightening his square-framed glasses. Joey, Mai and Seto nodded. Joey clasped an urn containing his father's ashes; Mai held a container that had the ashes of her mother's diary and Seto had the ashes of his father's suicide letter. The three moved with the priest to the edge of the cliff, all with calm yet serious expressions on their faces.

The old priest raised his arms, and prayed. "In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit…Oh, Lord Jesus, please bless and heal the three young people before me as they say good-bye to their earthly parents. Help them to remember what good there was and grant them Your peace. Amen."

The priest lowered his hands and stepped away, giving the kids room. They moved forward. "We come here to lay you to rest," Joey began.

"We come also to heal our wounds," Mai intoned.

"And to begin anew," Seto added.

"As we knew the bad times…"

"We also remember the good…"

"And we remember our blessings…"

"We remember the pain…"

"We remember the sadness…"

"And we remember the moments of joy…"

And then the triad took a deep breath and spoke as one. "And to embrace the future, we scatter the ashes of our pasts to the winds, never forgetting who we are, but releasing the darkness…" Joey, Mai and Seto opened the containers, pouring the contents over the cliffs. The ashes scattered, blowing out over the Pacific. _Goodbye,_ they each thought as they watched.

_And finally, that concludes Chapter 34! I'm sorry it's taken so long this time, everyone. My life has been rather crazy lately. Please read and review._


	41. A Birthday and Saber Practice

Chapter XXXV: A Birthday and Saber Practice

_Welcome back to "The Jedi League of Duelists," everyone. Finally, a new chapter! I know, it seems like forever. Life's been nuts and collaborating has been fun and insane, as well. I do collaboration and mentoring because I enjoy it. I also have posted a new story in this section called "Whisper." It's been in my head in some form, but 15animefreak15 gave me much needed inspiration to finally type it out. Now, back to Jedi League! Thanks again to my faithful reviewers, syrusfanatic12, Star Holder Commander, Invader101 and Glimerofhope, and I'd love to see more of you review!_

_Last time, three of our heroes finally placed certain aspects of the past behind them. Joey, his mom and his sister moved into a new home and the kids began preparations for Solomon Muto's 76th birthday. So what's next? Just stick around and I'll show you!_

_**Disclaimer: **__Peach owns nothing but Lisa and this idea. Furthermore, Polly Esther's is based on a Seattle dance club that closed in 2008. I liked the name. _

The entire group of teens, adults and one child watched as the ashes of a man, a diary and a suicide note blew out to the Pacific Ocean. The raven-haired child, Mokuba, breathed a sigh of relief. "You feel better, big brother?" he asked Seto. Seto knelt down to his brother's level and held him close. Lisa moved in close and hugged them both tightly.

"Yeah, Mokie. I feel sad, but better somehow. Maybe that's one less weight I have to carry now."

"Yeah, and you're not alone anymore."

Meanwhile, Joey slipped his arm around Mai. "You all right?"

"Yeah," she answered, laying her blonde head on his shoulder. "You?"

"Better; I'm glad this is over with."

Everyone seemed retrospective and a little bit moody, so Lisa had an idea. "Guys? I think we need to do something fun tonight. Does anyone know that teen club on 12th, Polly Esther's?"

Bakura nodded. "I do. And I believe tonight's theme is the 1980s. What are you thinking, Lisa?"

"Well, we've all been on such a downer lately, I thought we could use a pick-me-up. What does everyone think?" The parents and grandparent huddled, talked for a moment, and then turned around.

"It's fine with us as long as we know the club," Sam Taylor said calmly. "Just have fun, all right, everyone?" The kids nodded.

"Uh, Seto?" Mokuba asked. "I'm not a teenager; can I still go?"

"Leese?" the young man asked his fiancée.

"Well, the club is classified as 'all ages,' so that shouldn't be a problem. Mokuba, you're coming with us! We all have to dress as if we're from the 1980s, so we'll need costumes!" With that, the adults headed home, while the teens and small boy went to the mansion for costumes. By 8:30 PM, the group was inside of the teen club. Seto and Lisa were dressed as the lead characters from the final scene in _Dirty Dancing,_ while Tea and Yugi were dressed as kids from _The Breakfast Club._ Tristan was dressed as a detective from the 1980s television show, _Miami Vice_, and Joey, Mai and Serenity were dressed as people who might've appeared in _Flashdance. _Mokuba, meanwhile, was dressed as Ferris Bueller, Duke Devlin was dressed as an 80s businessman, and Bakura was a preppie which meant that he didn't need to change his usual outfit.

Once in the club, Teá dragged Yugi out onto the dance floor and they danced to Barry Manilow's "Copacabana"_._ "Yugi, this is great!" she shouted, twisting her body to the music.

"Yeah," he yelled back, also trying to dance. His height was an obstacle to really dancing with her, but at this moment, Yugi just enjoyed dancing with Teá. The music ended and they got off the floor.

"Man, Lisa, you and Seto should totally get out there!" Teá called over the noise. "You guys will amaze everyone! Go!" she continued, shoving Lisa a little.

"Teá, I don't…"

"It's okay, Leese, I'll probably look dumb out there too!" Seto said to his fiancée as he got to her side. "I've never danced with the woman I love at a teen club before."

"Then we're even, honey," she replied as the music began. It was a Latin song and something within the doctor and CEO was unleashed. They briefly forgot that anyone was in that club and danced with a previously unseen fiery passion. They were dancing so closely that not a crack of light passed between them. Their style seemed to be a cross between _Dirty Dancing's_ style and the style seen in _Moulin Rouge!_

"I've never seen Seto dance like that before!" Mokuba said, eyes wide.

"Even the night we went out, they weren't dancing like that!" Serenity exclaimed.

"I didn't know they could dance like that at all," Teá remarked.

"If I was taller," Yugi muttered, just a little jealous of his dueling rival.

"You will be, and I have fun with this you," Teá smiled sweetly.

"Oh, okay," Yugi replied.

_Listen to her, Yugi,_ Yami sent. _Aibou, she loves this you. Do not forget that._

_Gotcha, Yami,_ Yugi sent back. "Here they come…"

"Wish I could move like that," Duke said enviously.

Seto and Lisa came off the dance floor, breathless and smiling. The smiles abruptly turned to puzzlement. "That was fun…uh, guys? Why are you staring at us like that?" Lisa asked.

"Lisa…you guys were…_**wow**_!" Teá exclaimed in disbelief.

"Yeah, big brother. You guys were…I've never seen you like that!" Mokuba said. The engaged couple looked at each other, stunned.

"I…think we'll sit down now," Lisa said.

"Yeah," Seto agreed, a bit stunned. He pulled a chair out for his fiancée and then sat down himself. "Yugi, was our dancing that interesting to everyone?"

"Yeah, it was," Yugi answered, still somewhat stunned and blushing. "You were pretty hot out there…"

"Serenity?" Mokuba asked Joey's sister politely, bowing slightly.

"Yeah, Mokuba?"

"May I have this dance?" he asked, offering her his hand like a young man of a bygone era.

"I'd be honored," the fourteen-year-old girl answered, taking his hand and getting up. Mokuba led her out on the dance floor and they danced to "Don't You Forget about Me" from _The Breakfast Club._ While the youngest members of the gang danced sweetly, Joey swallowed.

"Um, Mai," he asked his girlfriend, "would you like to dance?" His arm was still supported in a sling and Mai looked at him nervously.

"Joey, are you okay to do that?" she asked, nibbling her lower lip.

Joey looked at his doctor. "Joey, as long as you take it easy, you should be okay," Lisa said. And so Joey and Mai headed out onto the dance floor. Joey was in jeans and a classically 1980s men's polo top and Mai was in a red shirt, skirt and black leggings. The song that played was "Lady in Red," a slow song, so Mai just hugged Joey and they danced in place.

"This is so nice," Mai whispered in Joey's ear. "I've never done this before."

"Danced?" he asked in shock. She shook her head.

"Danced with the man I love," she countered softly.

"Whoa…" The teen boy was awed. "And…I've never danced like this before…" He just rocked with her out on the floor, enjoying it. Everyone in the group got out on the floor and at 11:30 PM, they left the club. They went and got ice cream at a late night ice cream shop and then everyone went home. Mai had been invited to the Wheelers for the weekend and had accepted the invitation. When Seto, Lisa and Mokuba arrived at the mansion, the nine-year-old boy was sound asleep on the limo seat. Seto quietly picked him up and the teen CEO and young doctor got Mokuba up to his room, into his pajamas and into bed.

"He was so sweet out there with Serenity," Lisa whispered as they tiptoed out of the bedroom.

"Yeah…I wasn't sure he'd crash so quickly tonight. But he did. He'll probably sleep well into the morning. Hey, Leese?" he asked as they undressed, getting into their nightclothes.

"Yeah, honey?" she replied.

"Tomorrow is Solomon's birthday, right?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"I wanted to do something."

"Well, we're all going there tomorrow afternoon; we'll have some time in the morning to get him something, okay?"

"Yeah." The two were now in their pajamas and climbed into bed. "You looked beautiful out there, babe. Nobody puts my Baby in a corner," he said with a grin.

"Thank you; good night, honey." She cuddled close to him, and they each fell asleep.

Y

The next morning, Joseph Aaron Wheeler woke up and looked out the window of his new bedroom. The day was sunny, so that meant today's meet-up with his friends at Yugi's would be great. He staggered out of bed and headed down the hall to the bathroom. He was still half-asleep, and didn't really hear the shower running. He went into the bathroom, answered the call of nature and had just pulled up his pants and washed his hands when…

"_**Joey**_?!" Mai shrieked from the shower. "_**What are you doing in here**_?!" She'd stuck her head out of the shower, but the shower curtain obscured virtually nothing.

"Mai?! _**Oh crap**_!" Joey shouted, and tore out of the bathroom, his face beet red. He felt terrible. Sure it was an accident, but he felt bad he'd seen her in that way without her permission. He went straight back to his bedroom and sat down on his bed, groaning softly.

A few minutes later, Joey heard a knock on his bedroom door. "Joey? Hon, it's Mai. Can I come in?" The teen boy, stretched out on his bed, sat up.

"Yeah, c'mon in, Mai," he said. She walked in wearing a fuzzy lavender bathrobe and sat down next to him. "Mai…uh…sorry about that…I didn't know you were in there." His face was beet red again.

"You really didn't know I was in there," she said, searching his face.

"No, I wasn't even really awake yet, I guess. I had to use the john and…Mai, babe, I'd never try to get a look at you without you knowin' and bein' okay with it." He was looking down, but she put a slim finger under his chin, making him meet her eyes.

"Joey, hon, I know you wouldn't look at me without my knowledge…Look in my eyes." He looked and saw laughter, along with love and respect in her violet eyes. "You're so sweet, Joey, which is why I'm not mad. In fact, if anyone has earned the right to see me…it's you…" she said, and moved her hands to the robe ties.

"Mai, don't…please," Joey said. "Don't take it off. I…" He struggled to find the right words. But somehow, she understood.

"You're not ready for that yet, are you?" she asked gently. He shook his head.

"Mai…uh…it's not that I don't want to. I just don't want to be another guy coppin' a look at you. When I look at you that way, I want it to be when we're both ready to look at each other, you know?" Joey blushed, smiling shyly.

Mai smiled back, also shyly. "Joey, that just adds to the list of reasons why I love you so much." She gave him a gentle hug and then left the room. Joey sat for a moment, happy that Mai wasn't mad at him and then made his bed as best he could and headed down the hall to get ready for the day. Tristan came over an hour later to help the family with chores that Joey couldn't do yet. And then, the phone rang in the kitchen where Joey was wiping down the table.

"Good morning, Wheeler residence, Joey speakin'."

"Hi, Joey," Yugi said over the phone softly. "I was wondering if you, Mai, Serenity and the rest of the gang would like to meet up in a little bit. We're going shopping for Grandpa's birthday presents and I thought it'd be good if we all went together. What do you think?"

"Just a sec… Yo, Tristan, Mai, Ren?" Joey called out. The three other teens headed into the kitchen.

"What is it, Joey?" Mai asked. Joey told them what was going on and they agreed to meet with Yugi and the rest of the team as soon as their chores were done. Accordingly, one hour later, everyone except Bakura was gathered in the Kaibas' limo and heading toward the Domino Antique District. Bakura, tired from the previous evening, had elected to stay home.

"I know there's something Grandpa would love," Yugi said, "but I'm not sure if I can get it."

"Guys," Mai suggested, "why don't we pool our resources and buy him something together? That way it's really nice."

"Good idea, big sister. There are a couple of things I've seen that I think he might like," Yugi said as the car came to a stop. "I was looking through pictures a couple of months ago and there was this tea set Great-Grandpa and Great-Grandma Muto brought over with them from Japan and they lost it when they had to relocate to Minidoka. I've been looking through the antique shops and I found the tea set. It's kinda pricy but I think it may just be what'll make him happy." Everyone went into the shop and sure enough, the tea set Yugi had seen was there. It was an iron tea set in dark blue with a dragon emblazoned on the pot and cups. Everyone chipped in a few dollars and bought the set. After that, the group went to a gift wrap shop and had the present wrapped professionally. Finally, the group headed back to the game shop.

"Grandpa, I'm home," Yugi called.

"I'm in the back room, Yugi," Solomon said, coming out of said room. "Hi, kids."

Mai moved to her grandfather with a smile on her face. "Happy birthday, Grandpa," she said, hugging him. The other kids hugged him too with birthday wishes.

"Thank you all of you," he said. "What? Is this for me?" Seto was holding the beautifully wrapped box with a card on it.

"Yeah, Grandpa, it's from all of us," Joey said. "It was Yuge's idea."

Solomon walked into the living room with the kids and sat down on the couch. Seto set the package down in front of the old man, smiling. "We all chipped in a bit for this." Solomon tore into the package like a little boy and then carefully opened the box.

His face lit up with undisguised wonder. "Is this what I think it is? How did you kids find this?" he asked.

"Grandpa, I've kind of been looking at the antique shops and I found this set," Yugi explained a little shyly. "We all thought it would be a great gift for you. Grandpa, are you okay?" he asked in concern. Solomon's eyes were moist.

"Yes, my boy and my girl," he said, pulling his grandchildren close. "All of you, this isn't the same tea set that my family lost, but you all found it for me. Thank you…" Everyone hugged the birthday man, happy that he loved their gift. "Now then, are you kids ready for my surprise?"

"What?" everyone asked, as they hadn't been reading Solomon that closely with their powers.

"I finally got enough kendo sticks for all of you to practice with so if you want to begin training for the use of light sabers, we can do that. Lisa? As the Jedi Master here, it's your call."

Lisa looked at all the Jedi trainees and the two Jedi Knights in the group. _Are you guys ready for this?_ she sent. They all looked at each other.

_We're ready, Master Jedi,_ they sent back. _And we're ready to take your instruction, Sensei,_ they sent to Solomon.

"All right then." Solomon got and handed out the kendo sticks to the teens and child and soon, everyone was trying the wood swords out. Predictably, not everyone had unwavering maturity. No less than five minutes from the time everyone had their kendo sticks did Duke and Tristan end up in a childish swordfight.

Lisa sighed. "Guys, we're trying to learn here." They weren't paying attention. So she did the one thing she knew would work. "_**Jedi Atomic Wedgie**_!" she shouted, using her powers to get the troublemakers to give everyone their full attention.

"_**Ouch**_!" the two boys shouted as one.

"Now are you guys ready to work seriously?" the Jedi leader asked. "Solomon is willing to take the time from his schedule to teach us how to use swords so we're ready for light sabers when Seto has them figured out."

"Sorry," Tristan apologized, getting his pants back in order. Duke did the same thing and everyone got serious. Pretty soon, everyone was thrusting swords, parrying and blocking. They did very well and Solomon called the practice after two hours when they were jumping off the ground and flipping with their kendo sticks. Even Mokuba had picked that up quickly.

"You kids did really well!" the old man praised. "Well, I have to go back to work."

"Um, Solomon," Seto began. When Yugi's grandfather was looking at him, the teen CEO continued, "I was wondering if you would allow me the privilege to work behind the counter for you today. Since it's your birthday, after all, you should be able to take it easy."

"Seto, you don't have to…"

"But I'd really like to. Please?" he asked. "I'd like to give you an afternoon off, since you work so hard."

Solomon's face softened. "All right, Seto; if you feel that strongly, I'll take you in and Yugi and I can show you what to do. What will your brother and fiancée be doing?" he asked.

Lisa smiled. "Oh, I'll be working on what'll be happening next week. There are a couple of things I need to do and I wouldn't mind some help from you girls." Mai, Teá and Serenity all grinned.

Mokuba, seeing the young women grin, suddenly decided he didn't want to hang around with them. "Uh…could I just stay with you, Seto? Mr. Muto, I'll clean shelves!" And so, the group broke up. Joey and Tristan headed back to Joey's house to do some light chores that Joey and his mom needed help with so the girls could have their time out together. Duke Devlin, meanwhile, headed back to his own game shop where he enjoyed the attentions of various women.

The girls headed to the Domino Mall together. "So, Lisa, what are you looking for?" Teá asked curiously as they walked in.

"Yeah, what?" Serenity added.

"Are you looking for something for the wedding night?" Mai asked quietly, grinning.

"Uh…yeah, actually," the engaged young woman answered, blushing. While she'd gotten used to her current relationship with Seto, the change that was about to happen was pretty big. They'd had make-out sessions, but intimacy was another thing entirely. "He's seen me before, but…well, you know…" She was beet-red at the prospect of the wedding night.

"You're nervous?" Teá asked curiously. "But you're a doctor!"

"Yeah, but I'm still a virgin! I don't know anything about…that…firsthand…And it's really his first time, too. So neither of us knows what to expect other than what we've read about it."

"Well, I guess we're all in the dark on that, hon," Mai said. "I mean, you know…I don't know what it's like with the right guy. I will someday," she added, smiling and thinking of a certain blonde boy who she hoped would be her true first and only; that is, if she was right about him. "So what are you thinking of wearing, Lisa?"

The bride-to-be blushed. "I want something really sweet. Not constricting, and a bit graceful." They headed into a lingerie shop and searched. Lisa wasn't satisfied, so the cadre went to another shop. "Urgh, too cutesy," she said, looking at one particular garment. They left the shop.

"Lisa, what was wrong with those?" Serenity asked.

"That shop looks like Barbie invaded and turned everything pink and cutesy-poo; not me and not Seto at all," Lisa explained. "Ew."

And so they headed to another shop. And there, the future Mrs. Kaiba saw exactly the gown she wanted her husband to see her in on their wedding night. It was long and white with spaghetti straps and it was made out of silk. "This is it!" she exclaimed when she tried it on.

"Oh, Lisa…you look great," Serenity breathed. Mai and Teá nodded in agreement. Serenity reached out and touched the fabric. "Oh, does it feel nice? It feels nice to me."

"It is," Lisa answered. She changed back into her regular clothing and bought the beautiful nightgown. "I couldn't have asked for anything better. Now, we need to do something today, girls." For the next two hours, the four girls browsed, had lunch and just enjoyed themselves at the mall together, for this was the last weekend one of them would be single. It wasn't that they wouldn't have time to hang out together like this, but after the next Saturday, Lisa would be married. And eventually, she would have to go back to work at Domino Children's, so that would change her free time.

"So," Teá asked, "when does Mokuba go back to school?"

"We decided the week after next."

Meanwhile, at Muto Games, Seto and Mokuba were just enjoying themselves. Mokuba was helping open boxes and stock shelves and wipe down the counters. Seto, having been instructed on how to use the register, was the cashier and a clerk. Several children had already been in and bought several packages of cards. It was clear that they were young duelists with some experience. But then a little boy who was quite a bit younger than Mokuba came in with his older brother who looked about ten years old.

"Hello, there," Solomon Muto said. "Do we have a new duelist here?" he asked the little boy. Both boys had dark hair and green eyes and the younger one was a little shy. He managed a nod.

"Hi, Mr. Muto," the older boy said.

"Hello there, Nick," Solomon greeted. "Is this your little brother?"

"Yeah, this is Ari, and we're here to get his first deck." And then he noticed the young man behind the counter. "Uh, are you Seto Kaiba?" Nick asked, eyes wide.

Seto decided that for now, he would be as he was in the boardroom. "Yes, I am," he said in the cold tones he'd once used constantly. "Ari, are you prepared to be a duelist? Don't let your brother answer for you." He came from behind the counter and towered over little Ari and Nick.

Ari swallowed. "I…I'm ready, Mr. Kaiba."

"All right then, let's set you up with a deck." For the next twenty minutes, Seto helped little Ari select his deck as big brother Nick watched. "Are you satisfied with that deck, Ari?"

"Yes, Mister Kaiba," the little boy said. "Thank you for your help." Seto nodded and the boys paid for their cards.

"Good luck, Ari; you and your brother will need it." The two boys thanked him and Solomon again and left.

"Seto, why did you act like you used to?" Mokuba asked in surprise at how his brother had reverted to his old, cold self. "You acted like the Seto that can be really…grumpy."

Seto smirked. "I have to keep up appearances, little brother. Don't I, Solomon?"

Solomon smiled back, understanding. "I think you do. God forbid that everyone see you as your friends see you."

"Yeah…man…" Seto's eyes widened a moment as he realized something. "This time next Saturday, I'll be a married man." The three other males in the shop (Yugi had come in from the backroom) went silent for a brief moment, realizing the gravity of that.

_And that ends Chapter 35! Everyone, we are almost to the wedding of the year in Domino…but Domino doesn't know it's about to happen. Sure, they know that Seto and Lisa are engaged, but they won't know about the wedding until after it happens! Read, review and stay tuned for the wedding! Thank you!_


	42. Love of a Lifetime Part I

Chapter XXXVI: Love of a Lifetime Part I

_Welcome back everyone to "The Jedi League of Duelists!" Well, it's finally here…the moment you've been waiting for. Took us awhile to get to this point and yet we made it. Seto and Lisa are finally getting married. Seto's undergone some major changes in this timeline to get him to this point that he's ready for commitment. And Lisa has been ready for him. Thank you so much to my reviewers, Star Holder Commander, syrusfanatic12, Invader101 and 15animefreak15! As this is a huge event, I have no choice but to break what would've been a single chapter into two chapters. And so…Darren and Gigi Hammond request the honor of your presence at the wedding of their daughter, Lisa Angela Hammond and Seto James Kaiba. _

_Disclaimer: Peach Wookiee doesn't own the Yu-Gi-Oh franchise. She does, however, own Lisa. Peach also doesn't own the blessing that Father Pat gives to the engaged couple. That was taken from a Catholic prayer website. She also doesn't own any soda or soda company._

When Seto Kaiba awoke on Sunday, October fifth, it was the last Sunday he would wake up as a single male and just as Mokuba Kaiba's big brother and a captain of industry. In six days, he would be a husband.

_Am I ready for this?_ he wondered, looking at Lisa's sleeping form. _I will be a good husband and hopefully a good dad to our kids. Kids? _Not an unpleasant thought, but Seto had to admit that the idea of having children was a little bit terrifying. He headed out of the room in his pajamas and down to the kitchen. Marie had left a pot of coffee for him and Roland was sitting and enjoying a cup of it.

"Good morning, Mr. Kaiba. How are you this morning?"

Seto got a cup of coffee himself and sat down. "Morning, Roland. I need to just be Seto right now, if you don't mind terribly. I…need to talk to a father figure right now, and you're the closest thing I've got to a dad." Roland looked up at the teen boy, on guard now and hoping he had the wisdom Seto needed. Roland was in some ways young, but old enough to remind himself that even as an adult, he didn't know everything.

"Go ahead, Seto. What's on your mind?" he coaxed, much as he did with his own teenage son.

Seto looked over his coffee to Roland. "I guess I've got a lot on my mind. I'm ready to get married. I love Lisa and I want to spend the rest of my life with her, but…"

"But?" Roland asked, his eyebrows raised. _He can't be getting cold feet…Can he?_

"But…I'm worried. I can be a good husband…" Seto trailed off.

After a moment or two of silence, though, Roland coaxed him again. "What are you worried about, Seto?"

Seto sighed. "I'm worried about what kind of dad I'm going to be. I don't know how to be a dad and…I don't want to mess our kids up the way I was messed up. I'm scared of that."

Seto, admitting that he was scared? Roland reflected that this was a huge development. The Seto James Kaiba that he'd gotten to know and care about wouldn't admit fear like this. It seemed almost out of character for the normally cold CEO, but then Roland considered that Seto was all too human and feared things the same as others. Most of the time, he just hid it well.

"Seto, if you were my son, I'd be telling you that no parent is perfect and you'll just have to muddle through. But there's something else I have to think about when I advise you; you are and have already been a parent."

"Huh?"

"You've been a dad since you were almost seven. And you've done a good job with Mokuba. In fact, I'd argue that while you haven't been perfect, you have been better than most parents I've seen. You have protected him from the monsters in this world as best you could. And you have made sure he is happy and well-adjusted. You will be a good father to the children you have with Lisa. And I know, from what I've seen the past couple of months that you will be a loving and good husband. Don't you worry about it." Roland laid his hand on Seto's shoulder in a comforting gesture.

"Thanks, Roland; any other help you can give me, I'd be grateful for."

"Of course. Any time, Seto, any time." The two men talked for a few more minutes when Lisa came down from the second floor.

"Hi, honey," she greeted, dressed in her long cotton nightie.

"Morning, babe. I thought you'd sleep a little longer," Seto said, getting up and kissing her. "What's up?"

"It's just…I was wondering if…we could…go to church this morning."

Seto was taken aback at this request. "We're going, aren't we? To TV church?"

"Seto honey, I want to go to a regular church today, if that's all right. I think it's important that we do that." She looked a little nervous. "Please, Seto?"

Seto thought a moment, and nodded. "Okay, but where do we go? You haven't exactly gone lately."

"I tried a few churches when I first came to Domino, but nothing seemed the right fit that was in walking distance. But Joey said we could try St. James for Mass."

"But we're not Catholic," Seto said, bewildered.

"Honey, it doesn't matter. It's the same God, and one of my dad's faculty members goes to a Catholic church. He and his family aren't Catholic but they like the church."

"Oh…Okay then, what do we do?" he asked. "I haven't been in a real church in...man, it's been since before Mom…after that…Dad said there wasn't a point as if there was a loving God, He wouldn't have taken Mom when we needed her. I don't believe that, but I'm a little nervous about going. So what time do we need to be there?"

"Just a little before ten so we can sit with the Wheelers. Honey, are you okay with going?" she asked. "We don't have to." She wanted this, and Seto would not deny her this if it meant a lot to her.

"Babe, we'll go; it's good to reflect on faith when we're about to get married." And so they woke Mokuba up, got breakfast, got dressed and got to the church at 9:45. Joey was standing at the door waiting for them.

"Hey, guys, glad you could make it!" he said cheerfully, dressed in one of his brand new suits.

"Thanks, Joey," Seto answered. "We're glad to be here." Joey led them into the church sanctuary and sat them down with his family. The service went well with a sermon, known as a homily in Catholic terms, all about how a husband and wife are made to be each other's partners on Earth, working as equals. After the service was over, Father Pat came up to the Wheelers.

"Good homily, Father," Joey said.

"Why, thank you, Joey," the kind priest said. "And I see you brought some friends. Seto, Lisa, Mokuba, welcome. Did you enjoy it as well?"

"We did, thank you, Father," Lisa answered.

"Yes, Father, it was very relevant to us," Seto added. Mokuba elected to nod politely and the priest asked to speak with them in his office.

"Is there any reason it's particularly relevant?" he asked curiously. "I know you two are engaged to be married."

Lisa smiled at Seto, who nodded and said, "Well, we are going to be married. Father, can we trust you to keep a secret?"

"Of course, Seto. I am bound to share only with the Lord what I know. So you can trust me."

"Well, Father, we are going to be married this coming Saturday at City Hall," the teen CEO said quietly.

"In that case, I would like to give you each a blessing." He had them stand before him and prayed, "May almighty God bless you, Seto and Lisa. May He grant you love and happiness, peace and joy, and strength in trials, all the days of your life together. May almighty God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, give His blessing to you forever and ever. Amen."

"Amen," everyone in the room said. They exited the priest's chambers and left the church, feeling happy. Whatever happened now would happen and they all had a feeling that it would be good.

Y

On Monday morning, most of the Jedi teens went back to school. Joey was still on some medication and would likely fall asleep during the school day, so he remained out of school. And Serenity was out of school because she hadn't yet been enrolled in the Domino School District. She was going to be tested to determine what grade she would be in. Mai seemed a little tight-lipped about what she was doing and not letting anyone see her thoughts.

And so it was that Yugi, Teá, Tristan, Seto, Duke Devlin and Bakura Ryou were sitting around the lunch table discussing what would happen later in the week in code. "So, what will be happening with the big party this weekend?" Bakura asked quietly.

"Well, the party will start on Thursday and we guys will go to the Domino Family Fun Center. We can drive go-carts, duel, rock-climb and do whatever. It'll be pretty low-key and then I'm surprising Leese with something at the party on Saturday afternoon. I'll need your help to pull it off."

"What are you planning, Seto?" Tristan asked.

"Do you guys sing at all?"

The guys looked at each other. "Sing?"

"Sing," Seto repeated. "There's a song she loves and I want to surprise her with it after the White Dragon party." "White Dragon party" was code for the wedding. The boys nodded. "How goes the planning for the Princess Party, Teá?" the groom asked, referring to Thursday's bachelorette party.

"Lisa wanted us to all go out for treats and massages, so she's booked us at a day spa. We'll all go out for dinner afterward and then we'll go to her hotel room and watch a movie."

"Hotel room? Why?" Seto asked.

Teá flushed. "She didn't tell you?" When Seto shook his head, she said, "I think she wants you two to be separated for the two nights before the w…White Dragon party so that the after-party is nice." She narrowly avoided saying "wedding" and "honeymoon," and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

"Oh, I understand; she hadn't mentioned her plans. I thought maybe we'd sleep in separate rooms. Oh, well. It'll just be better. So Thursday and Friday night, then?" he asked. Teá nodded.

"Do we need to bring anything for Thursday?" Duke asked. "Should I bring some ladies?"

"Absolutely not," the guys yelped…quietly somehow.

"Why not? I thought that was what you did at…uh…Prince Parties. You have pretty women dancing around to celebrate; that's how it works in Vegas."

"Duke…think…I have a nine-year-old planning this party and none of us are close to eighteen yet. So the Prince party has to be about guys having fun…And I don't need to celebrate…things because the only woman I need is Lisa." The guys nodded.

Earlier in the morning at the mansion, Lisa pulled a simple white dress out of her closet. _When Seto bought this,_ she thought, _he had no idea he was buying my wedding dress._ The dress was made of white cotton and had a puffy skirt that went to just below the knee. It had short scalloped sleeves and a rounded collar and around the waist was a pale blue sash. She'd tried it on and did so now with a smile. _Not what I thought I'd wear to my wedding, but it's just right for me…for us. And it's so pretty._

"Big sister?" Mokuba asked, coming into the room. "Oh, wow, you look really pretty," he exclaimed when he saw her in the dress. "Is that what you're wearing on Saturday morning?"

"Yeah," she answered, kneeling to hug him. "Think it's okay?"

"Yeah, but aren't wedding dresses bigger and puffier?" Mokuba asked, remembering every Disney movie and other movies where weddings happened. The girls wore dresses that looked just plain huge, so Lisa's dress was a bit of a surprise. When Lisa nodded, he said, "Well, I like your dress, Lisa. It's really nice."

"Thank you, sweetheart." Lisa smiled and went back in the walk-through closet. She got dressed in a pair of jeans and a pink sweater that looked like it was layered over a white sweater. Then she added a pair of socks and her pink and black sneakers, and then came out of the closet. "Okay, Moks, what do you want to do today? I thought we could do something fun together, just us."

Mokuba regarded his future sister-in-law for a moment. "Could we go to the amusement park? Uh, the Domino Deluxe Amusement Park, I mean? At Kaiba Land, I'm part owner. But at the other park…"

"You're just a normal kid," Lisa said, hugging him again. "Okay, we can do that, sweetie. We'll get Bryce and we'll all go, all right?" Mokuba nodded. And fifteen minutes later, a security guard, a teen girl and a little boy left the Kaiba mansion to go have some fun. It took about twenty minutes to get across town to the park and into it. "What do you want to ride first, Mokuba?"

"I want to ride a roller coaster," he said. Gamely, Lisa went along with it.

Five minutes later… "_**Auuuuuuuuuuuugh**_!" Lisa was screaming at the top of her lungs in plain fear on the Hurricane Fury, a very fast and bendy coaster.

"_**Yee-hah**_!" Mokuba whooped excitedly as the coaster went down the tracks. The ride lasted three minutes, but for a certain young woman, it was way too long. "Wasn't that…Lisa?!" the nine-year-old boy yelped in alarm as his soon-to-be sister-in-law was a very unattractive shade of green. "Lisa, are you feeling sick?" She nodded, not trusting herself to speak. "Okay, then. Let's do something else."

"Okay," Lisa managed to say weakly. Mokuba led her away from the rollercoaster.

"Lisa, I think this looks like fun," he said. "A bench." Mokuba helped the older girl to the bench. "I'll go get us some drinks, okay?"

"Okay," she answered tiredly. Bryce went with Mokuba to the snack stand and they came back to the bench a minute or so later with some cold sodas.

"I got you a Sprite, big sister," Mokuba said. "I'm sorry; Lisa, I shouldn't have made you go on that ride."

"Mokie, honey, I wanted to go on the ride with you because I wanted to do something you enjoyed. And Seto tells me you love roller coasters."

"Well, I think this bench is fun for us right now, okay? Bryce, is that okay?"

Bryce nodded. "That's fine with me. When you're ready to move again, I'll go with you, too." And so they sat for a bit and then went on a flying airplane ride similar to the flying elephant ride at Disneyland. Lisa's stomach settled enough and the group of three got lunch at one of the park burger stands. By the time they left the park, Lisa and Mokuba were exhausted and they fell asleep in the limo on the way home. Bryce carried each of them into the mansion, laying them down on Seto and Lisa's big bed.

Two hours later, Seto and the rest of the gang arrived at the house after school. "Man, I never thought I'd say I actually miss goin' to class," Joey sighed. "But I actually do."

"Don't worry, Joey. Soon you'll be complaining that you want out of high school like the rest of us," Tristan grinned at his best friend.

Joey groaned, laughing. "I hope so, bud."

Mai, walking in step with Serenity said, "I'd like to know what that's like…going to a real high school, I mean. I never did…maybe I should and get the whole experience."

"You want to, Mai?" Serenity asked, surprised. "Well, maybe we could study together. The school district sent some stuff for me to study so they can place me in the right classes. I just hope my vision holds up. Dr. Misawa had a look at me and said he wants to try a traditional corneal transplant around Christmastime so I'll have the break to recover. Then maybe I'll end up at Domino High and maybe in Joey's class."

"That'd be nice," the older girl said, smiling and putting her arm around the younger one.

"Yeah, that'd be great, Serenity," Teá added happily. "It'd be nice to have you with us. You've always been part of the group anyway, since Joey told us about you."

"Yeah?" Serenity asked, awed.

"Yeah." They came into the house and Bryce was waiting for them.

"Welcome home, Mr. Kaiba. Your fiancée and brother are taking a nap and I don't think they need to be disturbed. They went to the Domino Deluxe amusement park today and Lisa got a little bit sick on one of the rides. The two of them fell asleep on the way back from the park, about two PM and they've been asleep ever since." The time was about 3:45.

"Okay," Seto responded. "Guys, you all can head to the media room. I'm sure Marie has left snacks for us. I'll be down in a bit." With that, he headed upstairs to change out of his school uniform and into something more casual. He tiptoed into the bedroom and saw the two people he loved the most sound asleep, cuddled up. The teen boy moved to the side of the bed and gently kissed them each on the foreheads. They stirred but didn't wake up. "You two sleep. I'll wake you up later," he whispered, moving back and into the closet. He changed quickly and headed back down to help the group with their homework.

Y

The next few days passed quickly for the group. The engaged couple decided not to write their own vows, but elected to have something special for Mokuba in the ceremony. "We don't want him feeling like he's not part of this," Lisa explained as she and Seto worked on Tuesday night in his home office as Mokuba slept. "I may have been here for the last two months, really, but I've only been part of your lives for four months. That's a big change, Seto and it affects him. Honey, I never want him to feel like he's pushed away or less important."

Seto smiled at this, putting his arm around her. "Babe, what you just said lets me know that you are the perfect woman for me to spend the rest of my life with. You accepted and loved Mokie right from the start. And I promised myself long ago that any woman I fell in love with had to love and accept my brother, too. So about these vows to Mokuba; I think we have them right. Don't you?" Lisa nodded eagerly.

On Wednesday evening, Seto gave the boys of the group something for the wedding reception on Saturday. "Guys, we all need to be in uniform, for lack of a better term on Saturday. So I hope I got the right sizes for all of you," he said, handing out different shirt boxes containing Hawaiian-type shirts and khaki shorts.

Yugi opened his package to find a purple-toned shirt that matched his eyes and complexion well. "Whoa! Seto, you got those really pricy ones! Thank you!"

"Yugi, it's a special occasion. It's not like I can just go to a big-box store and get cheap shirts. Besides, you guys need the best."

Joey pulled a green-toned Hawaiian shirt from his box as Tristan pulled a yellow-toned shirt from his. "This is the best, Seto," the blonde boy grinned. "And the shorts are great! So what's the plan again?"

"After the wedding, we'll head to the beach for the reception/beach party. You guys and the other girls will get there before Lisa and I do. Mokuba's coming with you guys and Lisa's family and you can all make sure the sound system is up and running. This has to go perfectly."

"Seto," Duke said, "relax. She doesn't expect perfection and wouldn't be mad if it didn't. She isn't a Bridezilla. If she were, she'd demand a huge wedding somewhere perfect and get mad if she didn't get a catered dinner from the best place in the world!" An image of Lisa this way went through the teen males' heads and they all cracked up.

"She can't use Jedi mind tricks on us, fortunately, can she?" Tristan asked nervously.

"That would be rather a frightening prospect," Bakura added, "especially as I'm not even in training yet."

"It'll be soon, Bakura," Yugi soothed gently. "I'm sure it'll be soon." The taller boy with the soft brown eyes and British accent nodded thoughtfully.

On Thursday, Lisa's parents and brother arrived from Seattle and Lisa went to the Ritz-Domino. The Kaibas and the Hammonds had lunch together at the same restaurant where Seto, Lisa and the Wheeler women had gone when Mokuba, Joey and Mai were all in the hospital together, and then as soon as the other teens were out of school, the girls went to Domino's best day spa where they enjoyed massages and some very good treats. Afterward, they went to dinner at Domino's Pink Paradise, a place that catered to women's parties and headed to Lisa's hotel where they watched _Father of the Bride_, a movie about planning an elaborate wedding.

"Thank God I didn't go that elaborate. Who needs swans?" Lisa remarked.

"I might, hon," Mai grinned. "I'd love to have them in a huge pond but not waddling around a tulip border outside. Guests might slip on the goose guano!"

Meanwhile, the boys went out for chili dogs and junk food and then to the Domino Family Fun Center. Tristan and Duke competed on the go-carts, the classic arcade games and the rock climbing since Joey couldn't effectively compete with his still-recuperating left arm. "Aw, man," the blonde boy complained from his seat in the snack area to Lisa's brother, Eddie, "I should be out there playin' and kickin' butt! But your sister would kill me if I wasn't careful."

"She's right, though; you shouldn't push yourself and risk getting hurt again. When Leese was little, she broke her leg badly and the doctor didn't even want her on crutches because of the break. She had to be carried everywhere, so that meant Mom and Dad had to take turns carrying her around the University of Washington to her classes and pushing her in a wheelchair when they got one. She hated it and wanted to try moving by herself, but our doctor told her she had to let nature take its course and let her body heal. Otherwise, it'd take longer for her to get better. And considering what you've been through, I think you should take my sister's advice. Whoa! Look at that!" Eddie yelped.

"That" was Yugi and Seto at a balance beam. They each had foam-covered swords and were now dueling as if with light sabers. "All right, Yugi, let's do this!" Seto challenged. "I can take you down! For one thing, you're smaller than me!"

"Didn't you hear what Lisa said about that, Seto?" Yugi asked with a wicked grin. "Size matters not!" The boys balanced on the beam, leapt, flipped and then crossed swords. Yugi leapt and twisted in midair, looking for all the world like Yoda dueling Count Dooku in _Star Wars: Episode II_. Seto twirled, blocked and dodged on the beam, just managing to keep his footing. Yugi landed on the beam and thrust his sword at his larger opponent. Seto jumped back and Yugi moved forward. Seto feinted and his smaller opponent moved back, reading correctly that the taller boy would attack if he moved forward to attack. And then, they moved forward at the same instance. Yugi charged and Seto charged, and then disaster struck. They lost their balance and tumbled to the mat below.

"Ouch," Yugi groaned as he got up, rubbing his sore behind.

"We actually tied," Seto added in amazement. "Guess we still have some stuff to learn regarding sword fighting."

"Yeah," Yugi answered, getting up and helping Seto to his feet as well. "Grandpa says it can take years for people to master the sword, but he says we're fast. You did really well up there, pal."

"You, too, Yugi," Seto complimented. "You fought like Yoda, and no, that was not a short joke," he pointed out, seeing the slightly angry look on his friend's face. "That was cool how you did the flips. I think if we hadn't both lost our balance you probably would've taken me down."

"Really?"

"Really, really. So, shall we head back to Eddie and Joey?"

Yugi nodded and waved over to Tristan and Duke who had just fallen off the rock wall, and to Mokuba and Bakura who had just finished a game of Dance Dance Revolution together. The boys came over to the table and sat down.

"That was bloody brilliant, Mokuba! I think you beat me," Bakura said, looking sweaty and tired, but delighted.

"Nah…I think we tied or if I won, it wasn't by much," the younger boy countered. "You moved better than me, Bakura. My legs are still funny."

The group of young men all sat down and four servers brought drinks, pizza and cake. When the boys were served, Mokuba stood up in a manner befitting the best man. "Well, we all know why we're here and celebrating. In the next few days, some big changes are going to happen and our group will be a bit different. I know Seto's and my life are going to be different, anyway," he said, flushing a little bit. "Eddie, I think you have a great little sister and I'm glad she's part of our lives. To Lisa!"

"To Lisa!" the boys toasted.

"And to my big brother, Seto, who's going to have to deal with things other than me…"

"I'll still deal with you, squirt," Seto responded, giving his brother a slight smile.

"To Seto!" the boys toasted again.

"And may the future bring you much happiness," Bakura added.

_And that is where we end part one! Onto the wedding in part two! Read and review, everybody! They are always appreciated, good or bad! Thank you!_


	43. Love of a Lifetime Part II

Chapter XXXVII: Love of a Lifetime Part II

_Welcome to Part II of what is shaping up to be the wedding of the year that Domino won't be aware of until after it happens! We've seen Lisa's family arrive, the bachelor and bachelorette parties and Seto wondering what kind of father he will be to his and Lisa's future children. And now,we finally get to it…the day before and the day of the wedding. Thanks to my reviewers, 15animefreak15, syrusfanatic12 and Invader101 and I thank you all for being extremely patient._

_Disclaimer: We all know I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. We also know I don't own any songs._

_Warning: __This does show the honeymoon. I hope it just comes across as very sweet, the way it's supposed to be. This should be within the T rating._

_Author's notes, some time later:__ Minor edits._

The members of the Hammond bachelorette party and the Kaiba bachelor party got home at 11:30 Thursday night. Serenity, Mai and Joey each slept in, as did Eddie Hammond and Mokuba. Everyone else, however, was up at six AM on Friday. Lisa had to make some final preparations for Saturday's wedding and the reception and that meant a trip to the meat market, the grocery store and a party supply shop. Her mother went along with her as well as Bryce.

"I can help carry packages, ladies, if you'll allow me," Bryce offered at the meat market.

"Yes, thank you, Bryce," Lisa answered. "Okay, we need ribs, beef and pork. We also need hamburgers, steak and chicken breasts. And some hot dogs!"

"Honey, how many people are you expecting? An army?" Gigi Hammond asked in shock.

"Mom, you haven't seen Joey Wheeler and Tristan Taylor pack away the food like I have," Lisa countered as she got what was needed.

"That is a lot of meat," Gigi said, a little awestruck.

"Yup. Oh, Mom, I'll need your help with potato salad. You make the best, I think and it's better than that gourmet stuff they sell in the stores," Lisa said easily. Gigi blushed a bit.

"Oh, honey, it's not that good."

"Yeah, it is. Mom, I want this for my reception." Gigi smiled at her daughter's compliment.

"Okay, sweetie. I can help you with that." And so the mother, daughter and security guard paid for their meat and went to the grocery store to get the supplies to make the potato salad. They took the stuff to the mansion and got the potato salad made and then Lisa and her mother returned to the hotel.

"Ahhh. It's nice to get off my feet," Lisa smiled, easing into a chair. "I'll be on my feet a bit tomorrow. I'm glad I'm doing a simple wedding, Mom."

Gigi looked at her daughter seriously for a moment. "Lisa, honey, I guess I have to ask the question even though you're a doctor and know a lot about…things."

_Here it comes…the talk, _Lisa thought, smiling wryly. "Mom, if the question is about intimacy, I know what's coming. And I'm ready. Seto's been reading up on that and he and I have agreed to take things slow. I know it'll probably hurt for a little bit, but again we'll be careful."

Gigi drew a breath of relief. "Well, I just wanted to be sure you're prepared, angel. Your dad was sweet, too, our first time."

"_**Mom**_!" Lisa was a doctor but hearing about her parents…well, that was something she didn't want to think about.

"Sorry, honey. My, this is a nice room; are you going somewhere just as nice for the honeymoon?"

Lisa grinned. "Well, Mom, actually we're not going anywhere except home. Mokuba's going to stay with the Mutos for the weekend and then he'll go to school and come back home on Monday. That'll give us two nights alone together. That'll be plenty."

Gigi smiled. "Your dad and I only had a night together." The mother and daughter talked for quite a while about marriage, the honeymoon, wifehood and motherhood. "You're going to do very well, honey," Gigi said as she got ready to leave for home. "You sure you're all right alone tonight?"

Lisa nodded. "Yeah, I'm okay, Mom…this is the last time it's going to be like this for me. After tomorrow late in the morning, I'll be Lisa Angela Kaiba." Gigi smiled.

"I'll be here to help you with your dress, all right? I'll come just a little after nine. See you in the morning, my big girl," she said, tearing up just a little.

"Love you, Mom," Lisa said. "Good night."

"Love you too, sweetheart. Night-night."

Y

The next morning all over the city, several teenagers, a child and quite a few adults were up before dawn. It was to be an unseasonably warm day which was good for the wedding party and their planned reception at the beach. Seto James Kaiba got himself dressed in a suit that he knew Lisa loved to see him in, and then went and woke his brother.

"Hey, kid…wake up, Best Man," he said softly, shaking Mokuba gently awake. The little boy yawned and awoke, looking at his brother.

"Good morning, big brother. Do I need to get dressed now?"

"Yeah, since you took a bath last night. You know what you're putting on?" the older boy asked his brother.

"Yeah." Mokuba nodded and got out of bed, heading to his closet. Seto helped Mokuba into the outfit the little boy would wear to the ceremony. Meanwhile, Gigi, Darren and Eddie Hammond woke up, got their showers and also got dressed. They went downstairs to the kitchen, ate a quick breakfast and then Gigi headed to the Ritz-Domino.

Lisa was wide awake, had had her bath and was now struggling to get her control-top flesh-colored pantyhose on. "Urgh! Hey, Mom!" she greeted. Right now, the Jedi teen girl looked like any other teen getting dressed for a special occasion, frustrated and tense. "I…hate…_panty hose_! Wish there was a Jedi weight loss trick! Sure I might be able to pick up heavy objects and move them fast, but can I speed up my metabolism? Heck, no!"

"Lisa, honey, just calm down," Gigi said easily. "Now stand up and then just pull them up." The teen girl got her panty hose on and smiled.

"Thanks, Mom. Now the dress," she said eagerly. She took out the dress and Gigi helped her put it on, tying the pale blue sash.

"Okay, you have something new and something blue, Lisa. Now for the old and the borrowed." Gigi had a box with her and opened it. She first took out a pearl necklace. "Honey, I wore this necklace when I married Daddy and Grandma Hanson wore it on her wedding day, and so did Great-Grandma Hanson. And now you will wear it. It seems to be lucky." She placed it around her daughter's neck and then pulled something else from the box. It was a silver bracelet. "And your Aunt LeAnn sent this with me so you could wear it." She clasped the silver bracelet around her daughter's right arm, smiling. "There; now we'll do your make-up, you can get your shoes on and we'll go to City Hall. Seto has a surprise for you!"

Lisa looked at her mother. "What? What's he planning?"

"If I told you, it would ruin the surprise," Gigi said, smiling. "Now just get ready, honey." Lisa pouted a bit, but knew her mother was keeping something good from her. They got her make-up fixed and her shoes on, and then they headed to City Hall. Domino City Hall was a tribute to traditional architecture, having been designed like old courthouses in older cities in the US. The City Hall had rooms that looked like old courtrooms, complete with pew-like benches and dark polished wood. And it was to one of these rooms that Lisa's mother led her.

"Mom, where are we going?" Lisa asked as they got to the room. And then, her mother opened the door. Lisa gasped. "Oh, my gosh!" The room had been decorated with flowers and tulle and a huge length of white silk on the floor leading up the aisle. The boys and the girls were standing at the front of the room and her beloved was wearing his white suit with the blue shirt and tie as he had in her dream nearly two months before. Mokuba was standing next to him dressed in a completely white tuxedo. Her father was sitting in the front bench and her friends from Domino Children's and their families were all in the seats, waiting.

"Are you ready, young lady?" the judge asked from the front of the room. "Your fiancé went to a lot of trouble for this."

Lisa smiled and nodded. At this, Joey moved slightly, hitting the button on a CD player. The wedding processional from _The Sound of Music_ began playing and Lisa began her slow march down the aisle. She looked at the faces of those who loved her and up to the face of the young man who would now love her like no one else. Seto was smiling as she approached, wearing the locket that proved their union of souls and lives. "Surprise, babe," Seto said when she was standing next to him.

"Seto, what's this?" she asked him softly. "You planned this."

"You get a small chapel, Leese. And the wedding of your dreams. Like it?"

"I love it," she whispered back.

"Are we ready?" Judge Leighton, a tall athletic-looking black man with a deep, strong voice asked. The couple nodded and the ceremony started. "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to witness the joining of this man and this woman in holy matrimony…" He went on for a few minutes, and then helped the couple through their vows and the exchange of two simple platinum wedding bands. Finally, he said, "You may now kiss the bride." And then after the two kissed sweetly, he turned them around to face the assembly. "And now for the very first time, I'd like to present Mr. and Mrs. Seto Kaiba!" The assembly clapped and cheered. The new couple exited City Hall and climbed into the waiting limo. Mokuba was going with the gang so the newly married couple had some privacy.

"We're actually married, babe," Seto said, awestruck. "I'm…so happy."

Lisa smiled. "I am, too, honey. I couldn't ask for a better husband than you…or…a better father for my children." Seto looked at her, smiling.

"Do we want kids right away?" he asked, happy but nervous.

Lisa smiled. "If it happens, it happens and I'm glad. We'll just have to figure out how many kids we want. I want as many as you're willing to give me," she said, kissing him.

The new couple arrived at the beach and Seto got out of the car. "Leese, wait here," he said, "and open that box and put on what's in it, okay?" She nodded and as soon as he was gone, opened the box to reveal a sky-blue sundress with matching sandals. She got her wedding dress, panty hose and shoes off—reveling in the freedom from the panty hose—and put on the new dress and shoes. She got out of the car and Roland was waiting for her.

"Are you ready…Mrs. Kaiba?" he asked her for the very first time. Lisa blushed at the formal address.

"Yeah, I'm ready, Roland," she smiled. "Our wedding reception…"

"You've made him so happy, Lisa, and I know you two have many happy years ahead of you. Now, let me call your husband and make sure the group is ready for you." He pulled out his cell phone and called his employer. "Mr. Kaiba…She's ready…Yeah, I'll bring her…He's ready, Lisa," he said, offering her his arm in the role of new father-in-law. She took it and he led her down the wooden staircase to the beach. Lisa's dress blew gently around her legs and her feet touched the sand.

The doctor and security guard walked over to a grouping of picnic tables with party balloons and decorations. A few barbeques already had the different meats cooking and the new bride could smell the barbeque sauce. Mokuba, now dressed in a bright blue silk Hawaiian shirt, tore free from the group with a huge grin on his face. "_**Big sister**_!" he shouted happily, tackle-hugging her. She hugged back.

"Hey, sweetheart," Gigi said, once Lisa had regained her footing on the sand, "where's your dress?"

"Up in the car. Where's Seto?" the bride asked.

"He's around," Gigi said mysteriously. And then the rest of the group was up and hugging Lisa, congratulating her.

"Hey, Leese!" Joey greeted, hugging his friend.

"Hey," she returned. "Guys, where's my husband?"

"Well, gee, I think he's around somewhere," the blonde boy grinned. And then Lisa noticed the boys were all wearing different colored silk Hawaiian shirts and the girls were wearing different colored sundresses. Lisa's parents and brother were smiling and she knew they were in on this…whatever this was and she knew that she shouldn't use her abilities to peek.

She asked, "Guys, what's going on and where is my husband?"

"Well," Yugi answered with a grin, "I think he's… _**right over there**_!" he shouted, which was the signal for Seto to step out from behind a rock wall. He was dressed in the white suit still.

"Hi, Leese," he said and signaled to the girls. Roland and Bryce each handed them big bouquets of roses in colors that matched their dresses.

Mai, clad in a lavender dress, came forward first with a bouquet of sterling silver roses. "These are the roses of love at first sight, which Seto felt but fought when you first met." She handed Lisa the flowers and moved away.

Next was Teá, wearing a golden yellow dress and holding a bouquet of golden roses. "These are the roses of friendship which the right kind of love has and which you cultivated with Seto even when he resisted a bit." She handed Lisa the bouquet and also stepped away.

Then Serenity, wearing shocking pink, stepped forward with a bouquet of pink roses. "These are the roses of expectant love which can with care grow into something stronger."

Finally, Elizabeth Wheeler moved forward. She was wearing a pretty red dress and held a beautiful bouquet of red roses. "And these," she said, "are the roses of a love triumphant which we know your love is…and may it be forever." She gave the bride the last bouquet and then the teen boys, Yugi, Joey, Tristan, Duke and Bakura took microphones. Mokuba punched the button on a portable CD player and his brother took up a mic as well.

"Babe, this is your favorite, and we're singing it." And the intro to Lisa's favorite Bryan Adams song, "Do I Have to Say the Words?" began to play. Lisa was smiling and thrilled that he remembered what her favorite song was and was in happy tears by the end.

"Oh, honey! That was…beautiful! Thank you…all of you!" she said. And then she was tackled by a small figure.

"_**Jaden Kiyo Yuki**_!" Jayda Yuki shouted as her two-year-old son knocked the bride onto the sand.

"Hi, Dr. Lisa! I want to dance with you first!" the little boy said excitedly, giving her a hug.

"Oh, Lisa, we're sorry!" Hisoka Yuki, a pleasant-faced Japanese-American man said, laughing a little. "Jaden, you know better than that. What do you say to Lisa?"

"Sorry, but can I dance with you first?"

Lisa laughed and smiled. "Of course, Jaden, after my daddy dances with me. I'd be happy to!"

"But first," Seto said, "I want to take my new wife on a walk, okay little guy?" Jaden pouted but nodded. And so the new husband and wife walked off down the beach, hand in hand.

"We're finally married," Lisa smiled blissfully as they came to a secluded area and sat down. "Seto…" He pulled her into a passionate kiss with the promise of what would happen later that night.

"Leese, do we want kids right away?" he asked. "If you do, I do…otherwise, I can take precautions so nothing happens."

"Honey," she said gently, hugging him close, "Seto, honey, if it happens, it happens and I want to be the mother of your children. And I want that sooner rather than later." She pulled him into a very intense kiss and he knew she was dead serious. When they came up for air, he felt his face growing hot. Lisa's face was red, too. "We have to wait," she whispered.

"Yeah…let's go enjoy our party…and the guys are going to love what we got for them…And Teá's going to love what Yugi got her."

"Yeah, she will. Shall we go back, honey?" she asked.

"Let's go." They returned, and the food was now out on platters and the group was dishing up. They whooped when the new couple returned, and then everyone got their food and sat down at the picnic tables. The group ate and enjoyed with the sea breeze blowing lightly and then Seto stood up, tapping on his soda can. Everyone looked up since he'd gotten their attention.

He cleared his throat and began, "Everyone, Lisa and I told you we didn't want wedding gifts when you asked as we already have everything a couple could possibly want or need. So you're probably all wondering why Roland, Bryce and the staff are bringing a lot of boxes. These are for all of you." They had little gifts for each of Lisa's friends at the hospital and their children and then Seto added, "We're making a very big donation to the hospital and we'll also finance some new equipment for Domino Children's." The doctors cheered. "And Darren, I'll be giving some money to your university so you can get a couple of professors that you wanted."

"Seto…you didn't have to do that," Darren said. "But I'm glad you did. Thank you." Lisa's father stood up and hugged his new son-in-law. Seto hugged back, happy. Then the other kids got their gifts. Duke received a Las Vegas-style gambling set with high-quality poker chips, shiny dice and playing cards. Serenity got a big check and a gift certificate, as did Mai, Joey, Tristan and Bakura. Yugi and Teá, however, hadn't gotten boxes when the others had and were looking around, a bit surprised.

"You two are wondering why you haven't gotten anything yet," Lisa said. "Well, Yugi and Teá, there's a reason for that. We wanted to save you for last. Yugi, come here." She handed him an envelope with a set of ballet shoes on the front. "This is your gift to Teá, so give it to her." He looked up at the bride, astonished.

"But…"

"It's from you," she insisted. So Yugi walked back to his friend since childhood and handed her the envelope.

"Teá," Yugi began nervously, "I know that what you want most is to be a professional dancer. And—and a couple of weeks ago, you lost your job partly because of me. You've been upset about it, though you acted like it didn't bug you. So I wanted to give you back the ability to make your dream happen."

Teá opened the envelope and gasped at its contents. "Yugi…Yugi, what..?"

The small spiky-haired teen boy blushed furiously. _Yugi, should I take over? _Yami asked.

_Yami, I need to do this alone,_ Yugi answered. _Right, Lisa?_

_Right, Yugi, _the Jedi Master answered. _Tell her yourself. Yami, let him do this himself. Help him, but don't take over, okay?_ She could sense the Pharaoh nod.

"Teá, I just couldn't stand to see you hurting that way. I just couldn't…you gave up a lot for me and I want you to feel better…please, Teá." He wanted her to take the gift, but was worried that she wouldn't. But he didn't have to.

"Yugi…oh, Yugi…thank you!" Teá was practically in tears.

"Teá, we have something for you too," Seto added.

"You are lovingly known as Friendship Girl. You're a loyal friend, you're not afraid to speak out against injustice, and you're never afraid to remind us of what true friendship is," Lisa said. "So when a true friend is in trouble, you've shown everyone that you help that friend. And now you're the friend in trouble and that means your friends help you. Here," she concluded, handing Teá a blue clothing box and a pink shoe box. "This is for your upcoming recital." Teá opened the pink box first and saw a beautiful pair of pink satin ballet shoes. Then she opened the other box to reveal a white ballet costume with a pink satin sash around the waist.

"Oh, thank you!" Teá breathed. "Lisa, Seto, thank you!" She got up, hugged them both and then hugged her best friend close. "And Yugi, thank you for doing what you did."

"Now, Yugi," Seto began in his now-seldom used creepy voice, "I have something for you."

Yugi looked up from his embrace with Tea and asked nervously, "Y-yeah, Kai…I mean, Seto?"

"As I was a jerk from the moment we met until…okay, when did I stop being a jerk?" he asked the assembly.

Joey grinned. "It was after you got interested in Leese, Seto!"

"Maybe," Seto allowed, "but anyhow, Yugi, for the high crime of causing you and your friends pain, not admitting I did need help and ripping up a Blue Eyes White Dragon card, I finally am about to make up for it. Also, I promised you compensation for watching my deck at Duelist Kingdom, so…please take this." The teen CEO handed the King of Games an envelope and Yugi's eyes bugged when he opened it and saw the contents.

"What?! Seto! This is…!" Yugi stammered.

"It's enough to ensure that your grandpa can retire when he needs to and the game shop can continue to be in your possession. Also, there's enough here that you can go to whatever school you choose or do whatever you'd like to do. I don't think I'll ever be square with any of you…You saved my little brother and you saved me, too. So, everybody, thank you." And then they all had cake. And then it was time for the dance.

Lisa danced with her father, and Seto danced with Lisa's mother. Then Jaden came up, demanding his dance with the bride. Lisa solemnly extended her hands and danced with the small boy. And then little Bastion Misawa walked up to Lisa with a gravity that exceeded his two years. "Lisa, may I please have the pleasure of the next dance?" he asked, bowing politely dressed in khaki dress shorts and a white polo shirt.

Lisa curtsied back in her sundress. "Bastion, I would be honored." And so they danced as well. And then the young woman danced with little Syrus Truesdale, his brother Zane, and Atticus Rhodes. Then little Alexis wanted to dance with the groom, which she did.

It was late in the afternoon when the party finally broke up. The toddlers and preschoolers were falling asleep or had fallen asleep in their mothers' and fathers' arms. Lisa had her friends get together and she threw the bouquet. Mai caught it. "You know what that means, don't you, Joey?" Yugi grinned.

"No."

"It means Mai's the next to get married," Duke grinned wickedly at the blonde boy and girl. They looked at each other and blushed.

Shortly thereafter, Mokuba climbed into a black stretch limo with the teen boys. "So what do we do on a guys' weekend? I'm kind of new at this."

"Well, Mokuba, we're all going to watch movies, eat pizza, go hang out at the arcade and do whatever we can just to have fun. Does that sound good?" Yugi asked as they sped toward Joey's house.

"Yeah!" Mokuba grinned happily. "Can we watch _Spaceballs?_" he asked, thinking of one of the funniest Mel Brooks movies he'd watched with his brother and Lisa. It was a spoof on all science fiction movies from _Star Wars_ to _Planet of the Apes_.

"Sure, squirt!" Joey grinned, ruffling the boy's mop of raven hair. "We'll make this the best guys' weekend ever! And we'll walk you to school on Monday, and then Leese and Seto'll come and get you."

"Hey, Joey, are your mum and sister home this weekend? I'd hate to disturb them," Bakura said a bit worried.

"Nah, Mom and the girls are hangin' out at the Ritz-Domino. It was Lisa's idea." And the boys continued to talk. Meanwhile, Lisa's family sped toward the Domino Airfield, heading back home. As for the newly married couple, they climbed into a silver Rolls-Royce and sped back to the mansion, making one stop at the Chinese restaurant where they'd first gotten take-out.

"No one expects a thing," Seto said, smiling as he got back in the limo after picking up the food. "We'll make the announcement to the press Monday. We can just send a press release or we can have a press conference."

"Seto," Lisa said gently, drawing him into a passionate deep kiss, "we'll worry about it tomorrow. Tonight is all about us, right?" At this point, Seto relaxed completely into the kiss, knowing that his wife had a point.

"Right. Leese, let's take our time with dinner and then I'll have something for you," he said with a smile. She looked at him quizzically, but decided to let him surprise her. They arrived at the mansion about six o'clock and Seto swung his bride into his arms. "Welcome home, babe," he said as they stepped over the threshold of the house. He put her down when they were in the foyer, and then they headed into the kitchen and filled up their plates. The couple sat and talked about the wedding, Mokuba, the little kids and of course their future together. At 8:30, they finally finished their dinner.

"Seto, I'll take our plates, but first I wanted to show you something," she said, walking into their walk-in closet. He sat on the bed, waiting, and then she emerged from the closet wearing the beautiful silk ankle-length nightgown she'd bought earlier in the week. "What do you think?" He got up from the bed and kissed her deeply.

"I think…you are beautiful," he said when they broke apart. "You can take our plates now, and take your time getting back up here. I need to get some stuff ready." She nodded and headed out of the room, wondering what in the world her new husband was up to. Meanwhile, Seto swallowed nervously. _This is it,_ he thought. _I have to do all of this right. Seto, relax or things __will__ go wrong. _He headed into the walk-in closet and got a blue box down from one of the higher shelves, set it down on the bed and headed into the bathroom to make final preparations.

Meanwhile, downstairs in the kitchen, Lisa put the dishes into the dishwasher, put the leftover Chinese food into the refrigerator and tidied up. She could sense that Seto was nervous and making preparations in the bathroom so she took her time getting back upstairs. When she returned to the bedroom, Lisa could hear water running and saw the blue box on the bed, tied with a white ribbon. There was also a tag on the box which bore the legend, "Lisa, come into the bathroom wearing what's in the box and only that. Love, Seto."

She swallowed nervously. She opened the box to reveal a beautiful but very simple purple silk robe. She removed her white gown and put on the robe, fixing the silken ties around herself. _What if I don't do this right?_ she asked herself nervously. _He hasn't done this before either, but…Lisa Angela Kaiba, get hold of yourself! It'll be all right,_ she told herself sternly. By this time, the water had stopped running, and the young woman could smell the scent of spicy scented candles.

"Leese, babe, are you in there?" Seto called.

"Yeah, honey, I'm here," she called.

"C'mon into the bathroom; it's all ready," he said and so she walked into the bathroom. The lights were dim and sure enough, there were candles lit and Seto was sitting on the edge of the tub, waiting for her. He was wearing a dark blue silk robe similar to hers and he stood up to greet her. "Is this okay, babe?" he asked.

Her eyes shone with love and amazement. "Oh, Seto, it's perfect…I can't believe you did all of this just for me…"

"You're my wife and that means…I'd do anything for you," he said lovingly. They looked at each other for a moment and then disrobed, allowing the silk to flutter to the marble floor. They stood in silence for a long moment, just taking each other in as well as the time that they were experiencing. They were each nervous, and finally Seto broke the silence. "Lisa, you know those Italian Renaissance paintings of women? I think…you look more beautiful than them." Sure it sounded a little bit awkward, but he meant every word of it. So she spun slowly around, letting him get a good look at her.

When she was looking at him fully, Seto spun around slowly so his wife got a good look at him. "I think you look better than Michelangelo's David," she said softly. He pulled her into a hug and kiss and they reveled in the feeling of contact with each other's bare skin for the very first time.

"Shall we?" he asked, indicating the bathtub.

"By all means," she answered. Together, they eased into the tub and relaxed. And then Seto drew his wife to him and began softly massaging her soft shoulders, luxuriating in the feel of her bare skin against his. He moved his hands up and down her back, relaxing her and then kissed the right side of her neck as he rubbed. She trembled out of sheer pleasure and he hesitated.

_Don't stop, _she sent through their mind link. She had never felt this way before and as he kissed her, she took his hands and wrapped his arms around her mid-section. She turned around, and they kissed deeply and strongly for what seemed like an eternity. Then they broke apart briefly before coming together again. They found out they didn't need to worry about "doing it right;" they had waited for the right time and were the lovers they were meant to be.

Y

Later that night, Seto was lying in bed, his wife sleeping deeply in his arms. It was two hours since he and Lisa had had their first time together. _Why didn't I know it could be like this?_ he wondered. _That was amazing! I've never wanted to be this vulnerable or share myself with someone like this before. But…she's different. _She stirred a little bit and he snuggled a bit closer to her, but she didn't wake. He'd read that usually the man falls asleep first but he wasn't tired. Lisa, however, had been exhausted so he held her gently in his arms as she fell asleep using his left side as a pillow. And now, he felt the wave of sleep coming to overtake him. _Good night, Lisa…I love you,_ he though as he drifted off. And the lovers began to dream.

_-Music for this sequence: __**Bunny in Love**__, from the subtitled __Sailor Moon __series—_

_As Lisa dreamed, she found herself in Egypt, 5000 years earlier… _The warm desert breeze blew gently through the Egyptian capital at dawn. The wind was soft this morning and blew the scent of sweet incense into the royal palace and into the royal chambers. Kisara, princess of Egypt and wife to Guardian Seto slowly awoke in the chamber she shared with her new husband and their adopted son, Mokuba. The little boy had spent the night with Seto's cousin, Pharaoh Atem because the couple had been married the previous afternoon and were entitled to some privacy. Atem had gladly volunteered to take care of his new little cousin so the couple could be undisturbed.

Kisara smiled as she curled next to her lover's sleeping form. Little had she realized on that day years ago when she had first summoned her friend, the Blue Eyes White Dragon that her world would be forever changed. Another day, when she'd summoned the creature, she was rescued from evil men who would've had their way with her by the young man who now lay next to her. Seto stirred in his sleep and put his arm around her.

He awoke and said softly, "Good morning, my love."

"Good morning, Seto," she answered equally softly. "Must we get up now?"

"It's only dawn," he said, and drew her into a long kiss. For this moment, the newlyweds could care less about palace business and turned their thoughts to more…worthwhile pursuits.

Y

_-Suggested music for this part: The instrumental from the DIC Sailor Moon dub when Princess Serena and Darien were killed by Beryl and Metallia.—_

_At the same time, Seto Kaiba found himself in a dream set five millennia earlier… _Seto, Guardian of the Millennium Rod and Prince of Egypt wasn't seeing clearly because the tears obscured his vision. Just moments ago, his entire world had collapsed in on him. His father, whom he'd thought dead, had turned out to be one of the Guardians of the Millennium Items, and the one who had slaughtered an entire village in the name of power. Aknadin had chosen not to reveal himself to his only child in all this time and when he finally did, the man was intent on killing the newly crowned Pharaoh, Seto's cousin. But before Aknadin could act, he needed a monster with extraordinary power.

_Kisara…_ The young Guardian's mind and soul cried out in pain. Never again would he fear the underworld or what he'd heard foreign travelers refer to as Hell. What he now experienced was a very deep pain from which he felt he would never recover. Seto hadn't seen the girl with the white-blonde hair and blue eyes since they were twelve years old with the backdrop of a burning village. And then he'd found her in the city being beaten by a crowd because they thought her a freak. He'd stepped in, stopped it, rescued her and taken her to his own chambers to nurse her back to health. He'd told his servants to attend her and his guards to protect her. However, his father had had other plans. He'd dragged Kisara to a dungeon where she'd had to compete for her life. Seto had attempted to stop the fight, but it had been his love that saved them from the abyss using her beautiful dragon.

But what had just happened… _Oh, Great Ra,_ he beseeched the god of the sun, _please turn back time and allow me to save her! Or drag her back to this side of the Nile. How can I live without her?_ Kisara had taken the deadly gout of energy Aknadin had sent to kill his son and she died. The duel monster spirit within her was now trapped on a stone tablet that Seto could call upon when he needed aid. She had helped him to fight of the dark side that his father had given him. "I'll always be with you, Seto," she'd said. And now he held her dead body in his arms, weeping softly.

He didn't even hear his cousin, Atem, approach as he was lost in his own thoughts. "Seto…I'm sorry."

He looked up at his cousin. "Why did this happen, Pharaoh? Why was I not meant to keep her?" he asked in anguish.

Atem looked back toward the palace and the darkened clouds over it. "Zorc…you should have had her…cousin. We must stop Zorc. Don't let her sacrifice be an empty one."

When the young ruler looked back, his cousin could see the pain in his amethyst eyes. "Cousin, when this is over, may I make a request?"

Atem looked into his cousin's blue eyes. "Of course."

"When this is over, promise me that she will be treated as an honored princess of Egypt who has passed into the next world."

Atem nodded. "Done."

Guardian Seto tenderly laid the body of his beloved in a protected area of the temple where he'd tried to battle his father and nearly battled his Pharaoh and cousin. "I'll be back for you, my love…and I promise to live for you." He covered her motionless form with his cape and rode off to fight the Destroyer.

Y

Seto James Kaiba awoke in a cold sweat. His dream had seemed terribly real. _That was Lisa! I can't lose her,_ he thought in horror, looking at her sleeping form. His frightened thoughts awoke her from slumber and she looked at him.

"Seto, honey, what's wrong?" she asked. He told her everything he'd dreamed and then she told him her dream.

"Which one of us is dreaming the real past?" he asked, fear in his eyes. "If I lost you…"

"Shhh," she murmured. "I don't know…but we shouldn't think of that right now. Let's forget about it right now."

"How?" he asked, figuring he would like the answer. Sure enough, she drew him to her, kissing him passionately. And again they found themselves where they'd been a few hours before…

_And there we have it. Seto and Lisa are now married happily, but the dreams of the past are scaring them a bit. So what will happen next? You'll just have to stay tuned, won't you? I hope I can get another chapter up a bit more quickly! Thanks for waiting, everyone! Read, review and I'll see you next time!_


	44. Returning to School

Chapter XXXVIII: Returning to School

_Welcome back to "The Jedi League of Duelists," everybody! Well, I'm glad you all enjoyed the wedding and are so interested in the outcome of this story. Thanks again for all of your reviews, Hermione494, 15animefreak15, Star Holder Commander, Invader101 and syrusfanatic12; I greatly appreciate them! If you haven't reviewed before but have been enjoying this story, please review! If you have reviewed, please keep on reviewing! I love hearing from you!_

_Disclaimer: __Peach Wookiee doesn't own the Yu-Gi-Oh franchise, Star Wars or anything else except this idea and Lisa, her family and non-established characters._

_Author's notes, a few years later: __Minor repairs and elimination of some unnecessary phrases in this chapter._

The newly-married Kaiba couple enjoyed two nights alone together after their marriage. On Sunday morning, Seto sent the carefully written press release announcing his marriage to Lisa Hammond instead of waiting until Monday. Lisa was still sleeping when he sent the message and awoke just as the news broke.

She opened her eyes, yawning lightly. "Oh…good morning, Mr. Kaiba."

"Good morning, Mrs. Kaiba," he answered, kissing her deeply. "The media knows we're married. I sent the press release an hour ago. Good thing your family's back in Seattle."

"Yeah," she answered, smiling and kissing back. "This place would be a media circus if everybody was here. Just imagine what it'll be like when we have a baby."

"Yeah," he smiled back. "Lisa, that will be a wonderful time for us, sooner or later. I'll be okay with it, either way. So what will we do today…besides the obvious?" Lisa was still kissing him, getting him in the mood.

"Hmmm…can't think of anything at the moment, honey. I'm feeling a bit…well, one-tracked."

"We're going to have to get out of bed eventually, babe. No matter how much fun we're having," he admitted, kissing her back and giving into what she wanted for the time being. He was glad they had waited for this part of their relationship.

An hour or two later, they finally got out of bed, got a shower and got dressed. Lisa was wincing a bit from the previous night and then this morning. "Honey, I was thinking about tomorrow and Mokuba and Joey getting back in school…"

"Yeah?" he asked curiously. "What about it, Leese?"

"I was thinking that we could walk to school with both of them. We'll get Joey and you to school first and then Mokuba. Mr. Darby is planning something."

Seto remembered, smiling and frowned slightly. "The media will be swarming the schools, wanting to see us, probably."

"You mean the paparazzi?" she asked with a wry smile. "We can pose for a few shots and give some interviews later. I mean, let's face it; one of the world's youngest most successful CEOs marries the world's youngest MD in modern history and they're practically parents already since they have a nine-year-old boy to look after. The news organizations will want to know what brought us together so quickly."

He realized quickly what she was getting at. "Yeah, well, for all we know you could be expecting now. But we won't know that for a while if that's the case, right?" She nodded in agreement. "I think you're right about the interviews. As for tomorrow, walking to school with them wouldn't be a bad idea if we have Roland and Bryce walking with us. Liz would usually be at work by then, but I'll call later today and have her stay at home so our driver take her to work. Does that sound like a good plan?"

She nodded. "It's supposed to be cool and rainy tomorrow morning, but heck, it'll be good for all of us to take a walk in the rain."

"Say what?" he asked, a bit stunned. "Babe, are you suggesting..?"

She hadn't thought anything of it, being from Seattle where walking in a light drizzle was a common occurrence. "Uh…oh! Honey, we can take umbrellas if you're worried. I'm used to walking in the rain. In Seattle, we hardly ever carry umbrellas except in the early spring, fall and winter. I keep forgetting how different people are about rain around here."

Seto nodded, laughing a little. "Okay, Leese, good point. Let's do it. Oh, Liz mentioned that Serenity will be starting testing for placement in school tomorrow and the testing's at Domino High. If Serenity does well, she'll transfer into Domino High. So I guess it's group support day."

"Days like that are good. What if Serenity ends up in the same grade as her brother?"

"It wouldn't surprise me at all. She's a smart girl," he said. "You know, when he and I first met, I would've rather have given a speech at a shareholder's meeting in my boxer shorts than tell Joey I liked something about him or his family."

Lisa raised a seductive eyebrow. "That would certainly be a sight, and would certainly get your female stockholders to buy more stocks. But…I'm not sure I'd like that idea."

"Oh?" he asked, wrapping his arms around her. He was wearing khaki pants and a dark blue polo shirt which nicely showed off his physique. "And why not?"

Lisa, now wearing a pretty set of purple velour loungewear, met his eyes. "Because your female shareholders just might try to rush the stage and kidnap you. And I don't want that, even though you probably could stop them now." And then she drew him into a deep passionate kiss.

"So," Seto asked when they broke apart, "is there something you'd like to do today?"

"Why don't we go out to a movie or something? I think the Domino Cinerama is playing _Star Wars Episode II_."

Seto sighed, laughing. "Padme would've been so much better off with Obi-wan."

"Yeah, but for better or worse, she loved Anakin. And it was cute watching him stumble through the whole thing. 'I hate sand,'" she began, cracking up as she quoted the most hilarious romantic line in sci-fi/fantasy movie history.

"Please tell me I wasn't that lame," he said, grinning sheepishly. "Was I?"

"No," she answered, hugging him. "You were perfect to me. Granted, someone who saw us might think you were corny, but I thought you were great. But great love lines are not why I fell for you."

"So why did you?" he asked, wanting to hear her say it again.

"Because I love the sweet wonderful Seto I got to know. And you are the one for me, my love," she answered for the umpteenth time. And so they went out and dealt with the press as husband and wife. It was amazing how the press found different ways to ask the same questions, but the couple answered them. They went out for breakfast at The Flaming Mushroom, a very good restaurant. And then they went to the Domino Cinerama and settled in to watch the previous year's _Star Wars_ movie. The theater wasn't crowded so the two of them had privacy. They spent most of the rest of that day walking in the park and riding in a horse-drawn carriage. When they finally got home, they were tired. Lisa convinced Seto to take a shower with her and finally, they went to sleep.

Y

The very next morning at seven, Mokuba pulled on his Domino Elementary School uniform, navy blue pants and a short-sleeve white polo shirt with the school logo on the sleeves and the name of the school embroidered on the left breast pocket. He pulled on his socks and sneakers and looked at himself next to the teen boys. "Do I look okay?"

"Yes, Mokuba, you look like you're ready for another wonderful day at school," Bakura offered. "How long has it been since you've been back?"

"Over a month, Bakura," Mokuba answered. "I kind of miss it and want to go back, but I kind of don't want to go back either. The kids don't like me that much."

Yugi met his eyes. "I can understand being alone. Have you talked to Seto or Lisa about it, Mokuba?" he asked.

"No, it's all right. It's just because some of those kids…well, their dads had to find new jobs when Seto took over. They used to work in the weapons division and even though he got them jobs at Boeing and Lockheed-Martin, they were still mad, I guess."

"It'll be okay, Moks," Joey said easily. "And you're a nice kid. Anybody who knows you likes you and if they blame you for what your brother had to do even after he got 'em new jobs when he could've just left 'em to find jobs, they're not right in the head."

Mokuba smiled and hugged the older boy, taking care not to hurt his still-battered ribcage. "Thanks, Joey. At least I have you guys."

The other boys grinned. "Of course you do, Mokuba," Yugi said. "We're your friends no matter what and we won't leave you, okay?"

"Yeah," Tristan added.

"Ditto," Duke grinned, tousling Mokuba's raven hair. "And you know your big brother and sister think you're great, right?"

Mokuba nodded, grinning. "It's good to have Seto and Lisa. And she'll be home even if he isn't this afternoon. I wish I could see them this morning though."

The teen boys looked at each other, keeping their thoughts from the small boy. At that moment, Serenity and Elizabeth came out from the master bedroom and down the stairs. The teen girl was dressed in a sailor suit uniform from North Haverbrook Junior High, while her mother was dressed in a very nice brown business suit. "Ready for school, boys?"

"Yeah, Ma, we're ready," Joey said cheerfully. His left arm was still in a sling and would remain in it for another week. Scout Rhodes and an orthopedist at Domino Children's wanted to be sure that Joey's arm was completely healed before he used it unprotected. And then, the doorbell rang. Joey went and answered.

"Morning, guys," Teá greeted, coming in. "Where's Mai?"

"She said she was waiting for you," Joey said, puzzled. "Somethin' about bringing what she needed."

"Yeah, well, okay," the brunette girl grinned. In addition to her messenger bag, Teá also carried a backpack with something in it. "She wanted me to bring something for her to wear today."

"Huh?" the guys all asked.

"You'll see in a few minutes," she answered, trotting down the hall. When she returned, Mai was following and she was dressed in the Domino High School girls' uniform. She wore the skirt, top, bow tie and pink jacket, as well as a pair of white knee socks and black penny loafers, similar to the brown ones that Teá wore.

Mai blushed and asked, "Do…do I look all right?"

"Wow, sis, you look great!" Yugi said admiringly. "Does this mean you're going to class with us now?"

She nodded. "Yeah. I'm getting the high school experience and I might even try out for cheerleading. Think I could?"

Teá grinned. "Yeah! You'd probably be able to get on. I couldn't get on that, or the drill team," she said with a sigh. "I wasn't pretty enough, apparently."

Mai looked at her appraisingly. "Let me guess; they're mostly blondes with long hair like mine?"

"The head cheerleader's a blonde, she's not that bright and the other girls…well, if you think my friendship speeches are a pain, they make me look mild by comparison. It's…" And here Teá affected a stereotypical 1980s valley girl accent and a goofy expression… "…'Like, oh my gosh, we are soooo cool! And those guys on the track team are sooo hot!'" She went back to her normal expression and sighed. "The cheerleaders at Jefferson High and Marie Curie High are really smart, but it seems like we have the dumbest cheer squad in the school district."

The guys all laughed. "Teá, I seriously don't mind your friendship speeches. My cheerleaders, as cute as they are, are actually that stupid," Duke admitted, flushing and sweat-dropping at the same time. _Maybe I need to re-evaluate that a little bit…Nah._ The truth was, on some level, Duke valued the girls' vacuous adoration. Given time, he would grow out of it, but right now, he liked it.

"So we're all walking to school together?" Mokuba asked. "Elizabeth, aren't you supposed to go to work?"

"Don't worry, I have permission from your brother to see Joey to school, okay?" the red-headed woman smiled. And she handed the boy his Blue Eyes White Dragon backpack, already packed with his books, gym clothes and a lunch.

The boy checked his backpack out of habit and saw the lunch. "You made me lunch? Thank you, Elizabeth," he said, giving her a hug. "You didn't have to."

"But I wanted to, honey. Is everything okay?" There was a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on white bread, a bag of potato chips, carrot sticks, a candy bar, and a juice box. He looked up at her and nodded happily. "Good. I tried to follow your brother's instructions and have what you liked."

And then, the doorbell rang again. "Hmm…wonder who that could be?" Joey asked with a slight quirk of his eyebrows. The group kept their thoughts shielded until the last possible second, and then Joey opened the door to reveal…

"Big brother! Big sister!" Mokuba greeted, running right to them for his hug. Seto, of course, was in his school uniform and Lisa was wearing her favorite blue jeans and a sky-blue sweater along with a pair of white sneakers with blue trim. "You're here, too?" he asked in happy disbelief.

"Yes, we are, honey," Lisa said, reveling in the soft yet strong hug from her brother-in-law, the first child that was hers to help love and guide. "We're all walking to school with Joey and the others and then you, Seto and I will walk to Domino Elementary together, okay?"

"Okay!" Mokuba said eagerly. The group got their stuff together, the teens with messenger bags, with the exception of Yugi using a backpack and Teá using both a messenger bag and dancewear bag and Mai with a Prada messenger bag. When it came down to it, Mai still loved fashionable bags and things and wanted to carry the very cute black bag. Everyone grabbed umbrellas and then they were off to school.

"I never did this," Mai admitted. "I always had tutors."

"I haven't walked to school since before the orphanage," Seto added.

"I never walked," Lisa admitted. Everyone looked at her, stunned. "Well, Mom was and is a little overprotective," she laughed a bit. "So she drove me to and from every school I was at. She had me call her when I was on break in college since I was so little then, and she bought me one of those monster-sized cell phones they used to have."

"You mean the ones the size of bricks?" Tristan asked. "You had to call her?"

"Yeah," Lisa explained as they kept walking. "I was five when I started college, Tristan. I can understand why Mom wanted to keep track of me, but still, most of the people on that campus were good people and I would've been safe. But it's okay. I couldn't have walked that far anyway. And there's no short way to walk to UW. When I moved here alone, I started walking a lot more than I did in Kirkland. It was great. I have to admit, though, that I generally don't have an umbrella with me." And then she used her powers to make her umbrella hover just above her. Soon, everyone else was trying it.

"Cool!" Yugi said as he lifted his umbrella with his telekinetic powers. "I think I like being a Jedi." Finally, the group arrived at Domino High to a huge police and media presence.

"Oh, Yugi," Mai whispered to her brother, tensing up. He squeezed her hand to reassure her as the principal made his way to them.

"Hi, kids," Mr. Darby said cheerfully. "We're all meetin' in the auditorium, so c'mon in!" The group headed past the press with the principal and to their shoe lockers (a new experience for Lisa, who was reminded of Domino's unique Japanese-American heritage) where they pulled on the school slipper shoes. And then they all walked to the auditorium, a little bit puzzled. The hallway was virtually silent, and so they each reached out with their senses to find out what was going on.

Joey's eyes widened in shock. "What the heck?" he muttered. Everyone looked at him, and then at the doors to the Mikio Hasemoto Memorial Auditorium. The entire student body was in the auditorium and they were all sending warm, joyous thoughts to the group, especially Joey. When the Jedi kids entered the auditorium, the students stood up and started clapping and cheering.

"_**Joey! Joey! Joey!**_" they cheered. At the front of the room was a huge banner that read, "Welcome Back, Joey!"

Mr. Darby led the group to the front of the auditorium where seats had been reserved and he walked up to the podium on the stage. "Morning, kids!" he greeted. "Thanks for all makin' it here on time. Anyway, we're all here to honor a young man who showed courage and stayed alive. We're also glad to have him and his friends back in school at last. Joey Wheeler, would you please come up to the stage?" Everyone clapped and the blonde boy came to the stage.

_Big brother, it's okay,_ Serenity sent through their mind-link. _You'll be all right._

_Yeah, Joey, we're all here,_ Yugi added. _If he wants you to say something, just say what's in your heart._

_Okay,_ Joey sent back as he stepped up onto the stage. It was a little disconcerting to see all those eyes on him, but he knew he had to say something. "Uh, thanks, everybody. Listen, uh…I'm not great with makin' speeches, but what I gotta say is if anybody's puttin' hurt on you, tell. Your keepin' quiet makes them stronger. So…don't stay quiet like I did. My name's Joseph Aaron Wheeler, and…I am a child abuse survivor." He couldn't hold back his tears, so Seto and Mai moved up on stage to support him.

In a move that surprised everyone in the room, even himself, Seto walked to the podium and said, "My name is Seto James Kaiba and I am a child abuse survivor." He might have to speak about it later, but for now, he would not go into detail.

Then Mai, after hugging her love close, moved to the podium as well. "M-my name is Mai Deirdre Valentine a-and I am a child abuse survivor." Outside of the group and the rape counselor, she hadn't spoken of her experience and this was a huge step for her. And then, all three came off the stage together.

"Thanks, babe," Joey whispered, hugging Mai. She was crying a little bit after that, but she felt better. After a few more words, Mr. Darby dismissed the group.

"Okay, now it's our turn," Seto said, looking down at Mokuba. "Mokuba, Mr. Darby said Lisa and I can walk you to school. Liz, there's a limo waiting for you so you can get to work."

"Thank you, Seto. That's wonderful," Elizabeth Wheeler smiled. "Joey, have a good day at school. Serenity, good luck with your testing, sweetie."

"Bye, Mom!" the Wheeler children called. Joey headed down the hall to his class and Serenity headed to the testing room with a proctor and a guide. Mai followed Joey and everyone else went to their homeroom classes. Meanwhile, Seto, Lisa, Mokuba, Roland and Bryce left Domino High School and headed out the gates. They posed nicely for a few pictures for the media and then walked leisurely to the elementary school. Mokuba was welcomed back, but Lisa and Seto could sense something was amiss with the students.

Mokuba gave his big brother and sister-in-law hugs and put his backpack, lunch, jacket and umbrella in his cubby and headed to his desk. Mrs. Farmer, a pleasant-faced woman in her early forties with curly shamrock green hair, copper colored eyes and a slight curvy figure visible in a pretty t-shirt and jumpsuit came up to the couple. "Mr. and Mrs. Kaiba, congratulations," she said with a smile as the students worked on their times tables. "I'm so glad to have Mokuba back in class. He's such a sweet little boy and he gives such joy to the class. He seems to be doing so much better."

"Yes, and he will tire a little bit easier," Seto commented. "Thanks for your patience and bringing his homework, Mrs. Farmer. He has missed school."

"Yeah. I've tried to keep him up to speed," Lisa added, "since I've been off from the hospital. I hope I've done well."

"I'm sure you did, Mrs. Kaiba…"

"Please, call me Lisa," the young doctor said warmly.

"Well, then you must call me Muriel," the teacher grinned back. "I'll take it easy on him today. Is he allowed to play at recess?"

Lisa nodded. "Yeah, he'll be fine as long as he takes it easy. He'll probably want to slide and swing a little bit. I'd just keep him away from dodge ball and anything where he's hit a lot. I'd like him to ease into that."

"Okay, we can make that happen," Muriel promised. "I'll tell the playground teachers and they'll keep an eye out for him. Who's on duty for him today?"

Seto answered, "Bryce is on today. He'll be patrolling around the school. Roland will be with me at Domino High. Lisa's still off-duty, so if Mokuba ends up needing to go home early, we can make it happen."

"All right, then. I'll have the office call you if anything happens. Congratulations to both of you," Muriel said, and then headed to the front of the class. "Class, I'd like you all to welcome Mokuba back with a round of applause!" The kids clapped, but Seto and Lisa could sense that the applause on the part of the students was not genuine. After giving the boy a quick hug, they left.

"He'll be all right," Seto said softly as they climbed in the limo. "But why were those kids so mad?"

"Honey, we should find out about them," she answered. "Maybe they're jealous or perhaps their parents were laid off."

Seto nodded in agreement with his wife. "Seems like things either Gozaburo or I did come back to haunt Mokie. I wish it weren't that way." It troubled the young man that things he had done caused his brother pain, and now he knew it was still happening. But he was confident that Mokuba would be okay.

And so the driver took Seto back to Domino High. "Have a good day at school, honey," Lisa said, kissing him good-bye.

"You take it easy, Leese. I'll be home in time for dinner. I'll need to go to the office," he said. "I promise I won't work too late." And with another kiss, he headed into the school building.

All was well for a couple of hours. And then at 10:30 AM, Mokuba headed out to recess. He had sensed his classmates really didn't want him back with them, so he'd resigned himself to probably reading at a bench for the period. Unfortunately, however, some of the kids in his class and in other classes had other plans.

"Hey, Kaiba!" a fifth-grade boy shouted snidely. "What are you doing back here?"

"Yeah, I thought you were gone for good," added a dark-haired Asian girl. And then three kids from Mokuba's own class surrounded him and they were a bit bigger than he was.

"I don't want any trouble," he said to the three.

"Well, tough," a dark blonde husky boy with green eyes said as his henchmen, a burly red-haired girl and a purple-haired boy grabbed hold of the raven-haired boy. Mokuba tried to struggle free, but they held him fast. "You should've just found a snotty private school to go to instead of coming to a place where we normal people go. You don't belong here."

"I have the same right to be here as you do, David… _**oof**_!" Mokuba had tried to stand up for himself, but then felt the air rush from his lungs as he felt a punch to his gut.

"If you were gone, nobody would miss you," David said cruelly. And then as the two kids held Mokuba fast, David punched. Mokuba couldn't scream but his young mind cried out.

Lisa, sitting and watching _The Price is Right_, heard her brother-in-law's mental cry. At the same moment, the rest of the Jedi teens heard it as well. Fortunately, Bryce, who had been patrolling the school had just headed back to the playground and arrived to get the large boy and two other kids off of his charge. "_**Get off him right now**_!" the security man shouted. Mokuba sank to his knees in shock and relief and Bryce picked up his principle. "Let's get you to the infirmary," he said as the playground teachers sent the three bullies to the principal's office. As soon as the small boy was in the care of the school nurse, Bryce picked up his cell phone and called the boss's wife.

Lisa picked up the phone, knowing who it was. "Bryce?"

"Lisa, I've just brought Mokuba to the infirmary at school. He's had a run-in with some bullies. I think you need to come and pick him up."

"Is he physically all right? I know he isn't emotionally," she asked, running to get her shoes on.

"He was punched in the stomach and he's already got some bruises coming on his face. He's also got a bloody nose. It doesn't look like it's broken," the security man stated. He felt terrible his principle had been harmed and Lisa could sense it.

"Bryce, you can't be everywhere at once, so please don't blame yourself. Bullies strike when they feel they can. I'll be there in a bit," she said soothingly. "Thank you for calling, Bryce." As soon as Lisa hung up, she called the limo driver and raced downstairs. And then…

_Babe, is Mokie okay? He's upset,_ Seto sent, speaking for the rest of the group who were listening in.

_He's had a run-in with a bully and he's hurt, but I'm going to the school to pick him up. It'll make things a little easier on him if he just goes for the day, I think._

_Okay, Lisa. Just give him a hug from all of us._

_Send him some loving thoughts, all of you,_ she answered, directing that to the entire group. They did, and in the infirmary at Domino Elementary, Mokuba felt a warm wave of love from his friends and family. He knew that whatever David had said, there were people that loved him in this world and would miss him if he was gone. And so, holding a wad of gauze to his face, Mokuba relaxed in the nurse's office.

Twenty minutes after receiving the phone call from Bryce, Lisa arrived at Domino Elementary. She hopped out of the limo and headed straight for the office/infirmary.

"Hi, there, may I help you?" a plump happy woman with brown hair and eyes asked.

"Hi, I'm Lisa Kaiba. I'm Mokuba Kaiba's sister-in-law. I just heard he was brought to the infirmary after a run-in with a bully."

"Oh yes, he was brought in about fifteen minutes ago and the kids who did it are in the principal's office. They're probably all going to be suspended for this. We take a very hard line at bullying. Oh, I should've introduced myself. I'm Ruth Gunderson, and I'm the secretary." She shook Lisa's hand. "I'm glad to meet you and I'm so glad Mokuba has another person that loves him so much to look after him."

"Well, thank you, Ms. Gunderson," Lisa answered as they headed to the infirmary.

"Please, call me Ruth," the older woman offered. "Your brother-in-law is an angel. The staff adores him and his teachers say he's a pleasure to have in class. He just doesn't have friends here. I don't know why. He's very likable and always comes in to say hi to me and Flo. Flo is our school nurse." The two women headed into the infirmary room where Mokuba was now lying on a cot, Bryce holding an ice pack to his eye. A woman with bright red hair with a funny bang sticking out and happy gray eyes, dressed in jeans and a blue sweater was cleaning Mokuba's lower lip.

"Hi, you must be Lisa. I'm Flo Fontaine," she said, looking away from her patient for a moment. And then she looked back at Mokuba, finishing up. When she finished cleaning him up, she took off her rubber gloves and disposed of them and the bloody articles in the proper biohazard containers. "There you are, Mokuba. All done."

"Thanks, Mrs. Fontaine," the little boy said, sitting up a bit. He was badly bruised and sad and held out his arms to Lisa for a hug.

"Bryce, what happened?" the young woman asked as she moved to the cot to hug her brother-in-law.

Bryce sighed and explained, "I was patrolling the school like I usually do because threats from outside the school are always a possibility, Lisa. And then I returned to the playground to find Mokuba being punched by that bigger kid and his henchmen. I got them away from him and carried him to the infirmary." Mokuba snuggled against Lisa, very sad.

"They don't want me here," he said, agonized. "The kids hate me, big sister. You and Seto probably sensed it. They were happier when I wasn't in class with them. When I went out to recess, I was just going to sit on a bench and read, but David Dawson…that's the kid who was punching me, Bryce…and those other kids cornered me and then David said if…if I was gone, nobody would miss me. He would've been glad if I'd been dead and so would some other kids," he whimpered, hugging Lisa tightly and crying.

She held him tightly and said to Bryce, "Bryce, could you please go and get his homework from Mrs. Farmer? I think we're going to take him out of school today."

Bryce nodded. "Yes, ma'am," he said and then left the room.

Lisa looked at the two women and said, "I'll sign him out for the day, then."

Y

Twenty minute later, Lisa, Mokuba and Bryce were in the limo heading away from the school. "Do you want to just go home, angel?" Lisa asked as the little boy laid his head in her lap. He nodded tiredly. "Okay. Let's just go home and you can take a rest," she soothed. By the time they arrived at the mansion, the little boy was sound asleep. Bryce carried his principle upstairs and Lisa got Mokuba out of his blood-spattered uniform and into some pajamas. He stirred but didn't wake when she got him into his warm bed and sighed. "How could they do this to him?" she asked softly, seemingly to herself.

"Dawson's father was in the weapons division at Kaiba Corp when Seto took over. He works for the Boeing Company in Sunnyvale now. He has to commute, but he has a very good job. But David probably doesn't see his father as often as he did," Bryce said softly.

Lisa covered Mokuba gently with a blanket and she and Bryce stepped out of the room. "That doesn't give him the right to be angry with Mokuba like that. I don't know if Mokuba should go back to school tomorrow. He's probably kept this all from Seto, hasn't he?" Bryce nodded sadly. "Bryce, go take your break and have some lunch. I'll sit with Mokuba for a bit and then have my lunch, all right?" Bryce nodded and headed downstairs to the kitchen. Lisa, meanwhile, brushed her brother-in-law's bangs which were as soft as raven's feathers. _I'll help make this better for you, sweetheart,_ she promised mentally. And she picked up a book and waited for him to wake up.

_And that is the end of this chapter. Joey has returned to school in triumph with all his friends around him and the possibility that his sister might join them. Mokuba, meanwhile, has returned to school, only to leave it again. How will the newlyweds deal with this? Stay tuned for the next chapter of __The Jedi League of Duelists__ and thank you in advance for your reading and reviews!_


	45. Decision Making

Chapter XXXIX: Decision Making

_Greetings again, fans of the Jedi duelists! I hope everyone can forgive me the delay. This story has undergone quite a metamorphosis since I started work on it over two years ago. And it still isn't done! I hope you all can stay with me, dear readers, for as long as it takes to finish this thing. And again, there will be light sabers, but now is not that time. Thank you to all of my faithful reviewers and all of my readers who make writing this story worthwhile. I'd write it anyway, but you encourage me to continue!_

_Disclaimer: __Peach doesn't own the Yu-Gi-Oh franchise or Star Wars. She just owns Lisa and any non-established characters or others she just happens to make up. She also owns this version of the Yugi-verse._

_Warning: __Married love in this chapter. I'd say PG or PG-13, tops._

Lisa sat for half an hour next to Mokuba's bed, reading one of her favorite books. Finally, the small boy awoke, surprised to see her there. "Big sister? You're here?" he asked.

She nodded, moving to hug him lovingly. "Of course, angel. I wouldn't leave you, especially not when you're hurting so much. You fell asleep in the car, Mokuba, so I got you in your jammies. How are you feeling?" she asked, checking his injuries.

"A little achy, Lisa," he admitted. "I still feel better than when I was thrown off the building. Um, do I have to go back to school today?"

She shook her head. "It's almost one. No, sweetheart. I'm not making you go back today. Why don't we go for a swim in the pool, and then get a little lunch? And then Seto should be home from school. He doesn't have meetings today and he's planning to come straight home to check on you. He wasn't too happy that those kids took out their parents' frustration on you. And he wants to be sure you're all right after what happened."

"Okay," Mokuba answered. "You'll go swimming with me?"

"Of course," she answered, smiling. "I'd be glad to, sweetie." And so, after he got up, Lisa got Mokuba's swim trunks out for him and headed to her room to get on her own swimsuit. When she emerged from her room, Lisa was wearing an electric blue one-piece swimsuit. When Mokuba met up with her, he was wearing red trunks with gray stripes down the sides. "Ready, Mokuba?" she asked.

"Yeah…thanks, big sister," he said gratefully. They headed to the back of the house where there was an Olympic-size swimming pool. The pool room was decorated with blue and white tile and there were showers and a hot tub along a wall as the two young people entered.

"My goodness…I really should've taken advantage of this room sooner," Lisa said, smiling. "It sure is nice and I love to swim." She and Mokuba got themselves wet in the shower and then got into the pool.

"Can you pull me around the pool a little bit, Lisa?" the small boy asked, now hanging onto a pool noodle floatation device. "Seto does that with me when he has time." The little boy sighed, wishing his brother had more time to play with him.

Lisa caught Mokuba's thoughts as she walked over to him. "Honey, he's going to have more time to play. He's making the time," she answered as she took hold of the noodle. They were in the shallows where Mokuba's feet couldn't touch the bottom of the pool, but Lisa could walk with her head and shoulders above the water. "Remember what I said is going to happen today?" she reminded him.

"Yeah, Seto's coming home after school," he answered, smiling a bit. "So he is making the time. Thanks for reminding me, big sister. Hey, can we do stuff with water with our powers?" Mokuba wondered.

Lisa smiled and nodded. Together, the teen girl and little boy moved to the shallows where he could stand chest-deep in the water. "Okay, Mokuba, this is going to be like when we learned Jedi Shield and Jedi Strike, but you're going to learn how to move the water however you want it to move." She took a deep breath and moved her hand over the water in a spinning motion. A small cyclone of water came up beneath her hand. "See that, Mokuba?"

He nodded. "Do I just think about making the water move like I make my shields?" he asked. She nodded, and so he took a deep breath. In his mind, Mokuba visualized the water spinning like a tornado and began to move his hand. He felt his own aura, for lack of a better term, grip the water and begin pulling it into a cyclone. Within seconds, a small cyclone was floating up from the pool beneath the small boy's hand. "Wow; is this right?" he asked.

She nodded, smiling. "Good job, angel." After that bit of training, the two swam around in the pool to relax and build up their appetites. Lisa wasn't much of a swimmer and Mokuba was okay, so they stayed in the shallow end of the pool. Finally, they got out.

"Thanks, big sister," Mokuba said as they headed up to their rooms to clean off and get into fresh clothes. Afterward, the two headed downstairs and Lisa fixed them both peanut butter and raspberry jelly sandwiches with potato chips and glasses of milk. "Yum, Lisa! This is great!" the small boy said as he bit into the sandwich. "I don't get this too often. Well, Seto's loosened up a bit since you came. He says junk food isn't great, but a bit of the stuff won't kill us."

"That's right," she answered. "After all, we're only human, sweetie. And occasional treats don't kill us. Now when you eat chips, drink lots of soda pop and don't exercise regularly, that's a problem."

"I know," he answered, levitating a chip from the bag using his powers and placing it in his mouth. "But we exercise a lot. I think Seto used to do too much," the boy admitted. "Before you started living with us, he'd skip meals and exercise in the gym three hours a day sometimes until he was exhausted and sweaty."

"Well, Mokuba, honey, we know why he did as he did. And now, he's getting better. And we'll work together on fattening him up a little, okay? He just needs a couple of pounds on him."

"Yeah!" Mokuba grinned happily. "I love you, big sister."

"I love you too, Mokuba," she answered, moving to give him a hug.

Y

Domino High School let out a little after three PM, and a group of teens hopped into Seto Kaiba's personal limo. "So, did your first day go all right?" the teen CEO asked Mai Valentine.

She nodded. "Yeah, Joey helped me through most of the classes, didn't you, hon?"

"Yeah," he admitted. "It's hard startin' at a new school, and you needed to know where to go. Good thing you and me have the same classes, Mai."

"Yeah…Good thing they stocked uniforms in my size," Mai added, relieved. Her uniform from Teá fit, but she needed a few sets of her own. Mai now carried five brand new uniforms with her. "Serenity, how did your tests go?"

"Pretty good," the red-headed girl answered, smiling shyly. "I did really well on the math and science portions and pretty well on the English, history and social studies portions of the exam. So I can break tomorrow and wander around with you guys and relax until Wednesday when I take another round of exams. And then I get to interview with Mr. Darby on Friday, and I'll know by Monday if I can go to Domino High with you guys as a sophomore."

"That's my little sis!" Joey grinned proudly. "You're going to be right along with us and you're gonna make your big bro look worse than he already does!"

"Joey, you just got back to school and you got A's on those two projects," Yugi said pointedly. "Stop bashing yourself!"

"Yeah, Joey," Seto added, agreeing with a touch of the old arrogance, "just because you're not like me doesn't mean you're not smart. It just means you're not as smart as me."

The blonde teen boy looked up at his rival and saw the slight smile in Seto's features. So he smirked back, saying, "Why I oughta...!" and moving as if to get at him. "Oh, wait!" Joey concentrated and tapped the teen CEO with a strongly modified Jedi Strike. "Gotcha!" he grinned. Seto grinned back and tapped the other boy in the same way. And then he sobered.

"Something wrong, Seto?" Teá asked, concerned. The entire group could sense his mood; a feeling of failure and a feeling of anger at himself.

He knew it would be useless to lie, so he answered, "Guys, I failed Mokuba. He's home and he's hurt and scared. Did he hide this from me?"

"We'll find out," Tristan said calmly, meeting the blue eyes with his hazel-brown ones. "You didn't fail him if he hid it from you, you know."

"Yes," Bakura Ryou added softly. "Seto, just because you and everyone here have certain powers doesn't mean you're omniscient now, does it?"

"Uh…what's omniscient mean?" Joey asked, and this time no one teased him for not knowing.

"It means that you know everything," Duke explained. "And I don't think we know everything. I mean, I'd like to think I do," he grinned, giving Serenity a certain ladies' man look. Joey and Tristan groaned at this while Mai, Teá, Yugi and Bakura sweat-dropped. Serenity smiled politely and Seto sighed. Duke's ego, at times, could be insufferable. They all knew that at heart he was a good guy, but he could still be an arrogant pain in the behind. "But I don't think we have that ability," he concluded.

"No, we don't, and that means you shouldn't get mad at yourself because I know that's not what Mokuba wants. I know if something happened to me, I wouldn't want Joey beating himself up, and I wouldn't want Mai to beat herself up either," Serenity offered gently. At that, Joey and Mai got their arms around Serenity.

"Thanks, Ren," Joey said softly.

"Yeah, thanks, Serenity," Mai added. "We'll remember that, hon."

It didn't take long and the group was back at the mansion. "Thanks for having us over, Seto," Yugi said gratefully.

"It's…good to have everyone over, and you can all go in the media room and we can study and hang out for a bit. I'll be back when I've checked on Lisa and Mokie. Marie's bringing in some snacks," he said, walking them down to the media room and referring to the house cook.

"Thanks, Seto," they answered as the woman with the gray hair and blue eyes came to the big room with a tray of all sorts of snacks. Everyone took places around the room to study and Marie made sure they each got snacks.

Meanwhile, Seto tiptoed up to his and Lisa's room sensing that she and Mokuba were there. Sure enough, he found them sound asleep on the bed with a DVD on with the main menu playing. He didn't want to disturb them, but Lisa awoke, sensing his presence.

"Hi, honey," she whispered. "I guess we fell asleep watching _Kiki's Delivery Service_. Is everybody…? Honey, what's wrong?" she asked, noticing Seto's worried expression.

"Lisa, what kind of a big brother am I?" he asked softly as she moved quietly from Mokuba's side and over to him. "Why didn't I know about this? I could've stopped it. Leese, I failed Mokuba like I always do."

Lisa looked at him and they switched to telepathic communication. _Honey, what makes you think you "always fail him?" _

_I do. Babe…all his life, I haven't been able to protect him. I couldn't protect him from this, from Kemo, the Big Five, Pegasus…him, and our father. Dad didn't even care._ It hurt Seto deeply. This latest thing was, to him, another example of "failure."

Lisa decided to counter. _About…him,_ she sent, and they both knew "him" meant Gozaburo, _you did protect Mokuba from him. How do you think Mokuba would be if you hadn't shielded him from that evil man? You sacrificed so much to preserve Mokuba; you wouldn't let that monster touch him. You made sure that Mokuba stayed sweet and loving. Even through Pegasus, Kemo, the Big Five… Honey, he has kept so sweet and loving, and that is because of you. You have protected him. He loves you so much._

_But why didn't he tell me those kids were…?_ He couldn't complete the thought. _I would've helped him._

_Seto, he wanted to solve it himself, if he could and be self-reliant, just like the person he most loves and wants to be like in this world. That is you. He wants to be like you,_ she soothed.

"Is that a good thing?" he whispered, switching to verbal communication again. "I mean, I haven't always set a good example for him."

Lisa hugged Seto close for a moment. "No, but no one is perfect and you have been good where you needed to be. And you showed him that you learned from your mistakes. A good parent isn't perfect, and neither is a good Jedi. Both know when they're wrong and learn from their mistakes. And you've done that, think about what's happening downstairs," she reminded him gently. "Why don't you wake him and let him know you're home?"

He nodded and sent, _Mokuba…Mokie, wake up, little brother. _He shook the small boy gently and then, the big blue-gray eyes opened.

"Big brother?" the small boy asked. "You're home?"

"Yeah and the gang is here to study with us. You want to come downstairs and be with us?" Seto asked, hugging his brother to him for a moment. Mokuba looked pretty banged up and would for a few days yet, but other than that, Seto noted mentally as he moved gently away from his brother, the boy was all right.

"Um…okay. Yeah. Oh! Lisa, Elizabeth made me lunch," Mokuba remembered.

"Sweetie, I put it in the fridge. It can either be a snack or you can eat it tomorrow, okay?" Lisa said softly. Mokuba nodded. Still clad in his bright red pajamas, he followed Lisa and Seto down to the media room.

"Hey, champ," Joey greeted. "How are you doin', Moks?"

"Okay, I guess," the boy answered, though the group all knew he really wasn't. He plopped down next to Serenity, who was stretched out on the floor with her math book and began to work on his own homework. "Those other kids just wished…I wasn't there."

"Well, we're glad to have you here," Serenity said, smiling gently and giving the small boy a hug.

"Yeah, Mokuba," Yugi added, getting up from his place on the couch to give the boy a hug as well. "You're great to have around! And we all like you a lot!" The whole group converged on him and gave him hugs and reassurances through their mind links. Mokuba knew there were people around him that loved him without hesitation and would defend him no matter what. So the group did their homework and then after having a practice session with kendo sticks, headed home for dinner, leaving the three Kaibas alone.

Y

"I wonder what she made, big brother," Mokuba said as he and his brother sat in the dining room, waiting for Lisa.

"She wouldn't let me in the kitchen, little brother," Seto answered. "Leese wanted to surprise us with dinner tonight, so we're letting her do it, okay? And we haven't had a girl cook for us before like this."

"Yeah! This is going to be great, big brother!" the little boy grinned happily, mouth watering in anticipation at what his new big sister was bringing to the table.

"I hope you guys are hungry for steak," Lisa said as she brought in a plate of nicely cooked tri-tip sirloin steaks. Then she brought in salad, baked potatoes, butter and sour cream and chives, and then asparagus.

"Whoa," Mokuba said, impressed. "Lisa, you made this for us?"

"Yeah, sweetie. I just hope you like it all."

"I'm sure we will, Leese," Seto answered. He took the small platter of steak and served Lisa and Mokuba, and then Lisa dished out the asparagus. They each took a potato, and then Seto made sure his brother got salad. They ate and chatted about their day, and then enjoyed some apple pie that Marie the cook had made for them. After dinner, Seto and Lisa helped Mokuba get a bath and finish his homework and then got the boy in bed at nine o'clock. All was peaceful in the house for a time.

At 10:30, Seto was lying on the bed in his and Lisa's bedroom, clad in his blue pima cotton pajamas. Normally, he wouldn't be ready to get in bed at this time of night, but it had been an emotionally long day. He and Lisa could, at the very least, cuddle and talk. The past two nights had been wonderful and he had a feeling that they should tone things down tonight with Mokuba just down the hall. Seto also knew that after the small boy had experiences such as what had just occurred, he had nightmares.

Lisa now came into the bedroom from the bathroom and Seto whistled appreciatively as he sat up. "Babe, you look amazing," he said, letting his eyes travel up and down her pleasingly plump and curvy form. She was wearing a semi-opaque long pink nightgown that made her look as if she were gliding. "I recognize that gown," he said.

"Yeah?" she asked with a knowing smile.

"You were wearing that the night we kissed for the first time. You've worn it other times too," he answered, really liking it on her.

"Yeah…We need to talk, don't we?" she asked, sitting down on the bed next to him.

"Yeah. I'm taking a guess that you don't want to send Mokie back to school tomorrow, right?"

Lisa sighed. "No…we can't send him back tomorrow. Not after what happened. You sensed the classroom, too. Muriel thinks he's a sweet boy, but those kids…We can't send him back there, at least not tomorrow."

"What about Wednesday?" he asked. And then Seto caught his wife's thoughts. "Leese, we can't just pull him out of school!" he exclaimed, his eyes narrowing.

Her eyes narrowed as well. "Why not? Sending him back would be cruel! Is this some kind of macho thing where torturing him means he somehow gets stronger? Or is this a pride thing?! Seto, getting him out of that school isn't retreating! It's doing what's best for him! And I _am __not babying him!_" she nearly shouted. He'd thought it loud and clear.

"Lisa, he has to face things and he can't run away from it!" Seto shouted back. They were off of the bed and on opposite sides of it. "_**He is not going to be allowed to run away**_!" The couple went back and forth for a couple of minutes, until…

"Big brother? Big sister?" The couple turned to see Mokuba, eyes wide with fear. They had been concentrating so much on their fight that they hadn't sensed Mokuba waking as he sensed their anger, hearing the shouting, making his way down the hall and then opening their bedroom door. He was afraid of what he'd felt and heard, having never heard his brother and sister-in-law fight before, or never heard parents fight before. They looked at each other and immediately felt terrible.

"Mokuba," Seto soothed, "come here, kiddo. It's okay." He and Lisa sat down on the bed, with Mokuba between them. "We just got a little heated about what we were talking about."

"You guys aren't getting divorced, are you?" the boy asked, worried. "I mean…."

"Mokuba, honey, no, we wouldn't get divorced, angel. What makes you think we would?" Lisa asked gently, keeping her arm around him as Seto did the same. The couple regretted that Mokuba had sensed, heard and seen them fighting and now they had to make it right somehow.

"Well, people get divorced without being married very long. I heard there was this guy that was married for only six hours and got divorced," the boy said sadly. The couple pulled him into a tight hug.

"Mokie, that's not going to happen," Seto said gently. "We promised each other for better or worse and that means we talk through stuff and we'll work it all out, okay? Divorce isn't an option for us, especially not now. We love each other and that means we work it out."

"You guys fought because of me," Mokuba said, his blue-gray eyes still sad. "Because…I couldn't be tough enough."

"Mokuba," Seto soothed, "that's not it. We just want to be sure that we do the right thing for you. I've made decisions for us in the past without thinking long-term what they'd do. Lisa's good to remind me that we need to think about what's best for you, and I need to ask what you'd like, kiddo. What we were talking about was what we're going to do about school for you. You don't want to go back to Domino Elementary, do you?"

The nine-year-old reached with his mind to sense his brother and what he was truly thinking. _Seto really does care what I think and he wants to know what I want,_ the boy thought in awe. "I don't, big brother. I like Mrs. Farmer, but I want to have friends and I don't want to keep getting beat up all the time or…feeling like they don't want me here." He held onto them, tearing up a bit. "Seto…I want to go to school with you."

_I thought so,_ the teen boy sent to his wife. "Mokie, that can't happen just yet. You have to be sure you're ready and tested so you can move up with me," he said aloud. "So we have to decide what to do in the meantime…"

Seto was about to lay out the options when Mokuba asked, "Couldn't I have tutors or have Lisa and you home school me, Seto? Lisa, you're still off-duty from the hospital; couldn't we do that? I can stay on a schedule and when you go back to work, we could have tutors for me."

"Or we could have you come to Domino Children's with me, sweetie, and you could do your lessons while I work," Lisa offered. "We can decide what to do tomorrow, okay, sweetheart?"

"Yeah; you really aren't going to get divorced?" the boy asked again.

"Really, little brother," Seto answered gently. "We love each other and we'll work through our problems together. I promise."

Lisa looked at her husband and asked the little boy, "Mokie, would you like to sleep with us tonight?" He nodded, still hugging them. "Okay, angel." Seto opened up the bed and Mokuba snuggled in between them.

"Lisa? Could you sing?" Mokuba asked softly.

"Of course, sweetheart." Within five minutes, Mokuba was asleep to his sister-in-law's singing.

"You're amazing, babe. I had trouble getting him to sleep until you came," Seto admitted softly as they cuddled together.

"Seto," she murmured, blushing. They kissed softly and fell asleep, sleeping very well that night.

Y

Tuesday morning, Seto awoke at 6:30 to see his wife and little brother cuddled together, sound asleep. The scene was so sweet that he didn't want to leave it, but leave he must. He had to be in school again today. So he slipped out of bed, headed to the bathroom, got his shower and pulled on his uniform, freshly pressed by one of the maids. He crept back into the bedroom, left a note on Lisa's nightstand and then kissed his wife and brother on their cheeks. "Goodbye, guys. I love you," he whispered softly. He then headed down to get some breakfast and then headed off to school.

Lisa, for her part, woke up a little after eight AM. She saw the note on the nightstand, along with a fresh pot of herbal tea. She picked the note up, opening it. "Dear Leese, I'm sorry about last night. I hope we can make things up, babe. Have fun with Mokie today and don't worry about school. I hope we can make up properly this evening. Love, Seto."

_Oh, we will make up, darling,_ she thought with a smile. _Now, if I can just make it happen._ She stayed cuddled up in the blankets and then moved so as not to wake her sleeping brother-in-law. She got her cup of hot tea and turned on the morning cable news channel that she liked so well. There was the news that she and Seto had taken Mokuba to school yesterday and then the news that he'd been assaulted by classmates and removed from school as well. He hadn't been seen this morning, so it was assumed the new Mrs. Kaiba was keeping him home as Seto had gotten to school and gotten through the reporters without incident. She watched the news until 8:30, when the small boy woke up.

"Mmm…Morning, big sister," he greeted when he awoke. "What time is it? Where's Seto?"

"It's 8:30 and Seto went to school. He didn't want to wake us, angel," she answered. "So we have all day today to have some fun. And if I can swing it, if you want, maybe you can hang out with the gang. Does that sound good, Mokuba?"

"Yeah, big sister!" the boy grinned happily. "What can we do today, Lisa?"

"Well, since you're staying out of school and I'm not ready to go to work yet, we can do whatever you'd like, all right?"

Mokuba read his sister-in-law with his fledgling powers and sensed she meant it. "Okay. Could we hang around here and work on my training? I mean…I'm kind of behind. And then…maybe we could have lunch and play." He looked up at her, ready to use his legendary puppy eyes to get his way if she was planning to say no, but to his surprise, he sensed she wouldn't do that. And so that day while the gang was in school, Lisa and Mokuba worked on his Jedi training, had lunch and then played a little soccer. Shortly before Seto was to finish school for the day, Lisa sent a quick mental message.

_Hey, Teá?_

_Yeah, Lisa?_

_Would you and the gang mind if I sent Mokuba to hang out with you guys for a bit? I need to have some time alone with Seto._

_He said you guys had a rough night. Is everything okay?_

_Yeah. We just had a tough time deciding about what to do with Mokuba. I think we need to have that conversation while Moks is out of the house and with you. So, is that okay? I'll send Bryce along with him._

_Yeah, that'd be great! We're going over to Joey and Serenity's to hang out today. We'll do our homework there._

_Okay, thanks, Teá! _Lisa sent back with a smile. _I'll send him along in a bit. See you later!_ And with a brief good-bye, the girls ended communications. "Mokuba! You're going to hang out with the gang," Lisa called. He ran to her with a huge smile, excited.

Not quite half an hour later, Seto Kaiba climbed into his limo while the gang headed to Joey and Serenity's house. To his surprise, there was a white envelope on the seat addressed to "My Beloved Seto." "Roland? What's this?" he asked.

Roland took a look. "It's an envelope addressed to you…from your wife, it looks like," the security man answered. "I think you'd better open it, Seto."

The teen did, and read, "My darling Seto, we had such a rough night last night. I want to talk to you about it when you get home. Meet me in the blue sitting room when you get home. It's very important. Love, Lisa." Seto's right eyebrow raised.

When he got home, he went straight to the blue sitting room to find not Lisa, but another envelope addressed to him. He opened it and read, "Hello, honey. We're playing a little game, my one and only lover. This is a game that, while beneficial for both parties, will result in a win for you. Follow the clues; I'll be waiting. Love, Lisa."

Seto grinned. _I'm coming,_ he sent lustily, knowing what kind of "game" this was.

Elsewhere in the mansion, Lisa steepled her slim fingers and smiled wickedly. _And the game begins,_ she thought.

The first clue for Seto was a riddle. "Romantic red, the color of passion. The color of my love for you is contained within a room." Seto quickly moved to the red sitting room and found the next clue. It read, "True love, like the quest for knowledge, is eternal."

Seto thought a moment. _Knowledge…hmm…Where would I find it, other than looking on the Internet? The library! _He raced to the library and sure enough, found a new note. But this time, instead of sending him to another room, the note asked him to find something in the room.

_Remember when I said you looked like Michelangelo's David?_ the note asked. _Find him for the next clue…_ Seto took a breath and went to his vast collection of art books and pulled out an art book about Michelangelo's sculptures. Sure enough, on the page that showed David in all his glory was an envelope. Seto removed it from the book and opened it, finding yet another hint. _Within a room of blue is a place where rain falls on command. When you find that place, my love, you will find your final set of instructions._

Seto muttered to himself, "Room of blue…our bedroom. But where would rain fall on command?" He thought it through, and realized… "The shower! Oh, Leese, you are good." He headed out of the library and upstairs to their bedroom and into the bathroom. "Lisa?" he called. But Lisa wasn't there yet, or at least she was hiding from him. He moved to the shower and saw a note on the soap dish.

_My darling Seto,_ read the note, _you had gym class today. I suggest you get in the shower and not try to sense where I am. It'll be more fun that way…See you shortly._

Seto grinned softly and raised his mental shields so he couldn't sense his beloved. _I trust you, babe and I can't wait._ He stripped, padded into the shower and turned on the hot water. Three minutes later, as he finished rinsing the conditioner from his brown hair, the shower door opened. "Hey, babe," he said as she wrapped her warm arms around him.

"Hey," she greeted. "Did you like the game?"

"Is it over?" he asked. She kissed him in answer and he began kissing her all over…

Y

About an hour later, the Kaiba couple was on their bed, cuddled between the blankets and entwined with each other. "If I'd thought a few months ago that this was even possible; us being happy, being with someone," the young man admitted, "I think I'd have been a happier person."

"Maybe you would've been," Lisa agreed, brushing her hand lazily across his chest. He drew her into a kiss again, and then she saw the clock. "Oh, dear…Honey, we need to get out of bed. We have to pick Mokuba up at the Wheelers," she said moving away from his embrace.

"Yeah, it's 5:45; we want to get him by 6:30. We need to clean up," he agreed.

She slipped out of bed and he watched her move. Her creamy skin was illuminated by the evening moonlight and he could see every curve, every mark on her skin including birthmarks. "I think we need another shower," he said with a slight smile, also getting out of bed.

"Okay," she grinned back, knowing precisely where this was going.

Y

At 6:30, Seto and Lisa knocked on the front door of the Wheelers' home and Joey answered. "Hey, guys, c'mon in," he said cheerfully. "Everything good?" he asked as they stepped into the house.

"Yeah. We talked things out. Lisa's going to keep Mokie home and teach him, and then in January, if he tests high enough, he'll attend Domino High with us. I think he can test that high."

"He's your brother," Joey pointed out. "That means he's got real brains, Seto. The kid's smart. You should've seen him when we were doin' our homework. He really knows math!"

Lisa smiled. "Yeah, he does," she agreed. "He's incredibly bright for his age. I think he'll pass. I just hope when I go back to work that he does okay studying in my office."

They headed to the family room where Mai, Serenity and Mokuba were watching _Shrek_ together. It was the very end of the movie, so Seto and Lisa let the little boy finish it off. As soon as it was over, he stood up. "That rocked! Oh, hey, guys!" he greeted, moving to his big brother and sister-in-law. "Did you decide what's going to happen with me for school?" he asked.

Seto knelt to Mokuba's level, smiling gently. "Yeah, we did, kiddo. Are you okay with Leese teaching you until January? We think it might be a good idea if she teaches you until then and then if you pass all the tests, you can go to Domino High with me and the gang. Is that all right?"

Mokuba's eyes widened with delight. "That's what I want!" He threw his arms around his big brother happily.

"Hey, Joey?" Seto asked as they headed to the door, "Isn't your mom home yet?"

"She might be runnin' late, Seto. Ren says she used to stay late when they were in North Haverbrook," the blonde boy explained. "She had to take off so much, she got extra work when she could. She had to keep her benefits for Ren."

Just then, a slightly tired Elizabeth Wheeler drove up in her car after a long day at the office. "Hey, kids, sorry I'm late," she said as she came into the house. "Oh, Mr…Seto, sorry."

"Hey, Liz," he greeted. "When did you get off work?" he asked gently.

"About a half-hour ago," she said as Joey took her jacket. "Traffic was a mess through downtown." She sank into a chair and removed her navy blue heels. Joey placed an ottoman under his mother's feet so she could give them a rest. "Thanks, Joey."

"Liz," Seto said firmly, "you don't need to work late. You learn quickly and you're already doing a good job. I want you to be home with your family on time. You deserve that after all you've been through, okay?"

Liz smiled. "Thank you, Seto." The Kaibas bade Mai and the Wheelers good night, and headed out to the waiting limo.

"So where are we going for dinner?" Mokuba asked. And the three of them headed to Domino's best Thai restaurant, one of Mokuba's favorite places.

_And so, things seem like they're looking up for the gang. Seto and Lisa made it through their first marital spat without anything major and Mokuba knows they won't get divorced. So what will happen now? Next time: Down Time at the Wheelers! See you next time! Please read and review! Thank you!_


	46. Down Time at the Wheelers

Chapter XL: Down Time at the Wheelers

_Hello again, Jedi League followers! (Appears from a vortex to the galaxy far, far away, looking like she fell into a garbage chute on the Death Star) I'm terribly sorry for yet another delay, but due to life and other tales, this has gotten pushed back. So thanks to my reviewers this past chapter, and to anyone who's just joining this story, welcome! And thanks to Star Holder Commander, who has kept asking for updates. Thank you very much! _

_**Author's note**__: I know the manga and anime differ on what happened to Hirutani and his gang. I'm going with the anime on this one. And a further note, quite some time after this chapter was published… I made a few minor tweaks including trimming the AN._

_Disclaimer: __I don't own the Yu-Gi-Oh franchise or Star Wars._

The Friday evening after the Kaibas had their first test as a full-fledged family, the Wheeler family and Mai Valentine enjoyed some down time. This evening, as a matter of fact, Mai had made dinner. "Honey, you didn't have to do this," Liz said as she, Joey and Serenity sat down at the table.

"I wanted to, Liz, and it's fine," the blonde girl answered, setting a bowl of spaghetti on the table. She had made spaghetti and marinara sauce with meatballs, garlic bread and Caesar salad, along with a chocolate cake for dessert. "Besides, I had a little help from Joey and Serenity when they came home from school." Serenity and Joey had worked together to help Mai make the meatballs and the cake and then helped her clean up the kitchen.

"You kids are amazing," Liz smiled. "And Mai…sweetie…you are unbelievable!" Mai couldn't help but blush at such praise.

"You…Liz…you and Joey and Serenity…everybody…I mean…" Mai, most often not afraid to say what she thought, was now at a loss for words. It was something new to her to be praised for just being nice and not being expected to give something in return when someone did something nice for her.

"Mai, you are so cool," Serenity said in admiration. "And you knew how to do what we needed to do. So let's eat before it gets cold!"

Joey dug in with his typical gusto, eating with sheer joy. "Mai, where'd you get this recipe? These meatballs are great!"

Mai grinned a bit sheepishly. "I got it off the Internet, hon. There was a great recipe for Italian-style meatballs and I thought I'd try it. Is it really good?"

"Yeah, this is like Grandma Francesca's!" he answered. "And she won't give the recipe to Ma, me or Ren. How in the heck did you figure it out, Mai?"

"Just lucky," she answered, smiling. The family ate dinner and dessert and finally, it was time for bed.

Joey was still on some pain medication which he took right after dinner. He crawled into bed at 9:30 and fell asleep almost immediately. But at midnight, he was awakened by a jolt of pain and fear. _What the..?_ He reached out with his mental abilities to find that his girlfriend was awake and frightened and heading toward him.

Mai reached the door of Joey's room and knocked softly. "Joey?" she whispered, sensing he was awake. "Joey, hon, can I come in?"

Joey flushed slightly. "Yeah…Yeah, come on in," he whispered back. She opened the bedroom door and stepped into the room. She quickly crossed the distance from the door to his bed, looking a bit self-conscious. "You want to sit down?" he asked softly, sensing her discomfort. Mai looked absolutely stunning to the fifteen-year-old teen boy. She was clad in a calf-length lavender cotton nightgown with short fluttery sleeves, a scoop neck and a purple bow in the center of the collar. The gown hugged Mai in all the right places and Joey swallowed at her beauty. In contrast, he was dressed in green plaid boxers and a green t-shirt. He was self-conscious as well, his bare legs over the edge of the bed and his left arm feeling funny out of the sling. "So what's up? I sensed you were kinda scared."

Mai nodded and he put his arms around her for comfort. "You'll think it's dumb, Joey. I'm coming in here like a little kid. I just had a nightmare and I'm going to be nineteen in less than a month…"

"Your birthday's in November?" he asked, surprised.

"Y-yeah…November 20th… I'm too old to be doing this," she said, embarrassed. "Running to somebody like a frightened little girl…I'm being silly."

"Mai…babe, it's okay," Joey soothed. "You want to talk about it?" he asked gently.

Mai nodded. "Well, it was back at Duelist Kingdom and I'd gone for a walk…You know…that walk." Joey nodded slowly. "Anyway," she continued, "Panik grabbed me, but in this dream, he didn't drag me right to the arena. He…decided to have a little fun with me. He didn't go as far as…Bennett did, but he did feel me up…I woke before he could do any more to me. I just felt so gross…"

Joey kept her close to him. "If he'd tried anything that night, Big Yugi couldn't have stopped me from trying to hurt that jerk," he said, referring to Yami. Sure, he knew that Panik probably outweighed him by a good fifty or sixty pounds, but to Joey, that hadn't mattered that night. Joey had been furious when the creepy Eliminator had shoved Mai, but if Panik had done worse, the teen boy might just have tried to fight.

"Joey, I just…Zelda said I'd probably have more nightmares before they finally stopped. I can't take the pills like I used to; that made sure I didn't dream."

Joey, still hugging the young woman close murmured, "You can stay here for a bit and just chill. We don't have class tomorrow."

Mai swallowed. "Joey, could I stay in here with you? I just don't want to be alone." She was frightened, and she knew Joey wasn't going to make any moves on her. "Please?"

Joey, for his part, mentally freaked out. _She…wants to sleep in the same bed with me?! Oh, man…_"Uh…sure, Mai. Uh, listen…this is the first time I've had my girlfriend sleepin' in my bed. Just so you know, and I ain't ready for…you know…So, you don't have to be afraid of me makin' a move, okay?"

Mai nodded. "I trust you, Joseph." And so they climbed into Joey's bed and cuddled close. Joey couldn't deny that his girlfriend resting in his arms wasn't intoxicating, but he would restrain himself because he could and neither of them was ready. She rested her head on his chest, careful of his tender left arm, and fell asleep. A moment or two later, Joey drifted off and the room was still.

Y

The next morning, almost everyone in the Wheeler home slept in, except for Elizabeth. She had to go to work on Saturday, though Seto gave her a short day at the office so her children weren't alone all day. She got up at seven AM, got a shower and got dressed, and before she left, she checked on the teens. Serenity was sound asleep in her bed, cuddled under the blankets. Elizabeth smiled at the sight and moved to Joey's room. She saw Joey and Mai together, sound asleep, and almost woke them. But then she realized that her son was not that kind of boy and that Mai must've been frightened in the night. So Elizabeth left the house quietly.

At 10:30 AM, Serenity awoke from her slumber. _Hmmm; Mom must've gone to work already,_ she thought, sensing that her mother wasn't in the house. She reached out to sense her brother and Mai still sound asleep. And so Serenity got up and headed to the bathroom. She did what she needed to do and brushed her teeth. She then stepped out of the bathroom and walked down the hall, noticing her brother's bedroom door was open.

Joey had just awakened when Serenity crept to his door. He got out of bed and crept toward the bedroom door to meet his sister. "Hey, Ren," he whispered.

Serenity looked in the room, seeing Mai's curvy form in her brother's bed. _Joey, what is Mai doing in here?_ she sent, so she wouldn't wake the other girl.

_She had a nightmare, sis,_ Joey sent back. _She came in here in the middle of the night and didn't want to be alone. We didn't do anything but fall asleep._

Serenity could sense her brother was telling the truth. _I believe you, big brother, and I know you wouldn't have been…close with Mai. Not yet, anyway._ Joey's eyes widened. They walked to Serenity's room and switched to verbal communication.

"Uh…Ren?" Joey asked. "Uh, you're my little sister and I love you. But I gotta know; how much do you know about…stuff?" He wasn't about to say the word. It was embarrassing to talk about, but even more embarrassing to talk about it with his sister who he hoped wouldn't even start dating until she was working on her Master's Degree.

"Joey," Serenity grinned, "I'm fourteen. I might not know about…things…firsthand, but I do know about things."

The blonde teen hugged his redheaded sister close. "Ren, I don't want you to know about that stuff firsthand until you're thirty," he whispered.

"Joey!"

"Okay, when it's with the right guy, but not a minute before."

She nodded. "Hey, Joey?"

"Yeah, sis?"

"I have an idea…"

Y

Mai Valentine awoke at 11:30 AM in Joey's bed. She'd slept well, and was surprised that she had slept as late as she had. No sooner had she looked at the clock that she heard Serenity. "Mai?" the redheaded girl called softly. "Are you awake?"

Mai sat up. "Uh, yeah, I'm up, honey. Good morning."

"Are you hungry?" Serenity asked.

Even without Jedi powers, one could tell. Mai's stomach rumbled audibly. "Yeah, I guess I am," she said, blushing a bit.

"Don't get out of bed," Serenity smiled, levitating a glass of orange juice to the blonde girl. "We're bringing you breakfast."

"We?" Mai asked.

"We," Joey grinned as he came into the room, levitating a tray full of food. He set it down in front of her perfectly. "Glad I can levitate stuff, since my left arm still sucks."

"Yeah…hon, it'll get better. Just give it time," Mai soothed as she and the Wheeler siblings sat down and enjoyed their breakfasts. Joey and Serenity had bowls of cereal while Mai had toast, fruit and bacon. The three teens talked about nothing in particular, and then Mai wondered, "What are we going to do today?"

Joey looked at his sister thoughtfully. "Well, we could go to the mall," Serenity suggested. "But then you'd get bored, Joey. We'd have to try things on."

"Yeah, hon. Serenity and I could shop tomorrow when you're watching football with the guys," Mai suggested.

Joey grinned sheepishly. "Now, I'll be okay if that's what you girls want to do, you know? And walkin' in the mall means fresh air. And if you two have fun, that's what matters to me 'cause I'm happy if you're happy."

"Well, let's do something where we all get fresh air and you don't get bored out of your skull," Mai offered. "We could just go for a walk, Joey."

Joey thought about it for a second and grinned. "Why don't we walk to the park? We can walk around there and get some fresh air. And Ren, if you want, we can swing on the swings!"

"Joey!" Serenity laughed, remembering the good times at the park when they were little. "That sounds great!"

After they finished their breakfasts, the teens got showers, got dressed and headed out. "The park isn't too far from here," Joey said to Mai. "Man, Seto made sure we had a decent place. If you'd told me in June that Seto Kaiba would be helpin' us all out, I'd have thought you were on somethin', you know?"

Mai nodded. "And I didn't think I'd ever have a guy I trusted and loved like I do you, Joey…or a family that loves me, even if I didn't come here by my father's choice." She was still coming to terms with the fact that she was brought into this world the way she had been and would struggle for quite some time with that knowledge. But then she smiled. "But I know my father would've loved me, and Abby would've, too. I would have loved to have her as my mother."

"Maybe you can make your history as it should've been in your head," Joey suggested, watching his sister walk ahead of them happily. "I know I've been doin' that lately."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah…in my dream, Dad left and Mom and Ren and me lived together here in the city and everything was okay." The dream in his head was bittersweet, but he still counted it as a good dream. "And we all were friends a lot sooner. I never joined up with that gang and I was a better student. And I was better for you. Mai, you deserve a better guy than me, you know?"

Mai made him meet her eyes. "Joseph Aaron Wheeler, you are the best guy for me. You were the first guy to treat me like…like a lady and not just something to look at. You chose to get to know me and accept me, even with all my flaws. And that makes you the right guy."

"You really think so, Mai?" he asked, drawing on his abilities to sense her feelings. "You do feel that way…whoa."

"What?" she asked, stunned as she read his emotions. "You're surprised I feel that way? Why?"

"I just still can't believe it, that you'd think that way, babe, you know? I mean, let's face it. You're like that girl in that song by that guy. You live in the good part of town and I've lived in the rough part of town. I can't buy your world."

Serenity had slowed her walk, staying close to her brother and who she hoped would be a sister-in-law someday. She raised her mental shields and thought, _they doubt themselves, but they don't doubt each other. Daddy hurt Joey into thinking he's not right and Mai's daddy did the same thing to her. But that doesn't matter to them. They'll be okay._ The fourteen-year-old girl lowered her mental shields to hear her brother's thoughts and her friend's thoughts.

"Joey, I don't want you to buy my world," Mai said lovingly. "I'd much rather that you be part of…no…I want to be in yours."

"Even with all the flaws in it?" he asked seriously as she moved close to him.

"Even with all the flaws," she answered, kissing him gently. "Your world is all out there. I don't feel like anything's really hidden here. Nobody pretends the flaws are missing."

Joey flushed at this. "Well, I'm glad you're here. Hey, Ren?"

"Yeah, Joey?" the younger girl asked her brother, coming close to the couple again.

"Stay close when we get to the park, okay?" he asked. "I don't know why, but I just got this feelin', Ren, Mai." The two young women nodded. They reached the park and walked toward the play equipment.

"Hmmm, I wonder if we can push the teeter-totter up and down with our powers," Mai said curiously.

"Let's try it," Serenity said eagerly, noticing no one was in range to see them. And so the three pictured themselves on opposite ends of the teeter-totter, pushing up and down. However, they were standing several feet away from the apparatus as they pushed.

"Whoa…we actually did it," Joey grinned, impressed. "I still can't believe we're doin' this!" They ran to the swings and used their combined powers to push each other. When it was time to get off the swings, they leapt and turned a somersault in midair, landing gracefully on their feet.

"I always wanted to do that," Mai grinned. "I think we've done enough training for a bit, guys. Why don't we just walk through the park for a bit now?"

That sounded good to the Wheeler siblings, so the trio got onto the trail next to the playground and began to walk. They lost themselves in the sounds of the park and the smaller life forms, little knowing that larger life forms might cause them trouble. As they walked near the woods, Joey got the feeling something was wrong.

"Huh?" he muttered.

"Joey, what is it?" Mai asked.

"Yeah, big brother, what..?" Serenity began, sensing danger.

"We ain't in a safe part of the park. This is Hirutani's territory. My old gang is here, and Hirutani will not play nice, so stay alert, both of you. If I have to, I can draw 'em away," Joey answered quickly. And then a nightmare from Joey's past appeared.

"Hello, Joey," Kane Hirutani, known popularly by his surname, grinned nastily as his fellow gang members, all rough and angry boys, surrounded the three. Kane had closely cropped black hair with a bluish tinge and snapping hard dark eyes. Today, instead of wearing his customary uniform from Domino's Jefferson High School, black pants and jacket with a t-shirt underneath, Hirutani was clad in black jean shorts and a dark t-shirt. "What are you doing here, you pathetic traitor?"

"None of your business, Hirutani," Joey growled. "Back off." His eyes flashed, a danger signal. Hirutani, however, ignored it.

"Ooh, I'm so scared," another boy with blue spiky hair and matching eyes grinned wickedly. "You don't think we'll let these lovely girls get away, do you?"

"Yeah, we could have fun with them," a third boy with brown hair and soulless dark eyes smirked as his redheaded friend with hard green eyes grinned coldly in agreement.

Mai knew that horrible hungry look and there was no way she'd let violate Serenity the way she, Mai, had been violated. _Serenity, get ready to run. Joey and I can hold them off. I won't let them hurt you, _the blonde young woman sent to the redheaded girl.

Serenity met Mai's violet eyes with her brown ones. _I'm not leaving you! And they won't hurt us. Remember what Lisa taught us. We can defend ourselves!_ The redhead wouldn't leave her brother or the woman she thought of as a sister to be hurt. Mai met her eyes and nodded.

"Not on your life," Joey snarled. The trio got close to each other. "You ain't hurtin' my girlfriend or my little sister. In fact, Hirutani, if you or these stooges try to hurt anybody again, you're gonna answer to me and my friends!"

"And us," Mai growled, keeping Serenity close to her. The Wheeler siblings and Mai raised their hands slightly. "You've threatened people and gotten away with it. You've probably told sob stories to judges to get out and keep hurting anybody who looked at you the wrong way. Well, it ends here."

"Right," Serenity said, without the edge to her voice that her brother and friend had. She knew she had to be calm. "You need to find other ways to channel whatever's really bothering you. I know why my brother joined your gang. Our dad wasn't much of a dad. Whatever you're going through, though, doesn't give you the right to hurt people. So why not stop this?" She had decided to try kindness to counter their anger.

"Shut up, you..!" Hirutani shouted, ready to use some very poor language to trash Serenity, but before he could deliver that word, he found himself being lifted into the air.

"_**Jedi Atomic Wedgie**_!" Serenity shouted, her eyes flashing. Hirutani soon found himself gasping in pain, and then Serenity dropped him to the ground. The other gang members were stunned but not so stunned that they wouldn't try something.

The other four began charging which was a tactical error. Joey, Mai and Serenity looked at each other and in a split second, knew what to do. They stood in a wall formation, raised their hands up as if to push the gang members away, and shouted, "_**Jedi Strike**_!" A blue force field wave rose up and pushed out from the Jedi teens. The gang members recognized the shields too late and were thrown back hard. They crashed into the ground, stunned.

When Hirutani and his gang got up from the ground. Their eyes were wide in shock. "You're…you're like that girl! You have powers!" Hirutani yelped in horror. "What the heck..?!"

"We're Jedi, just like Lisa," Joey said. "And that means we've got responsibilities to the world."

"We'll let people like you know that you aren't allowed to hurt anybody or do to them as you please!" Mai added sternly.

"And if you want help to turn to the good side of things, we'll help you," Serenity concluded. Hirutani and his gang looked at the three Jedi teens and ran. They might not have given up their criminal ways just yet, but at least they would now not strike people so easily.

After the gang members left the park, Joey grinned at two of the women he loved most in this world. "We did it; they won't be botherin' nobody!"

"No, Joey; they know we're not going to let them get away with it!" Serenity said happily. "I can't believe I did that!"

"Honey, you did the right thing," Mai soothed the somewhat stunned girl. "You showed them that they can't do to people whatever they want to do. It's not right what they're doing and you defended yourself and us too." Serenity nodded.

Joey took a breath, sounding winded. "Girls…can…we…go home now? I'm feelin' a little tired." The two young women nodded and each put an arm around brother and boyfriend. "Thanks," he managed to say.

"Just relax," Mai said gently. "You'll be okay, hon." The triumphant trio made it home in ten minutes and Joey sank down on his bed.

"He's tired," Serenity murmured as her brother dropped into a tired sleep. "He must've pushed hard."

Mai moved and covered Joey to his shoulders with a blanket. "Just rest, hon. Serenity, I'm going to call Lisa just to be safe. Do you want to sit with Joey for a while?" Serenity nodded, sitting in a chair near her brother's bed. The older girl headed out to the kitchen and picked up the phone. "Hello, Lisa?"

On the other end of the phone, Lisa Kaiba had been relaxing with her brother-in-law, watching Saturday cartoons when the phone rang. They'd all sensed tension and then a burst of power from the Wheeler/Valentine trio and Joey's tiredness. "Hey, Mai, is everything okay?" Lisa asked.

"Lisa, did you sense what happened?" Mai asked.

"Yeah, did all three of you use your powers?" the Jedi master asked curiously.

"Yeah," Mai confirmed. "We were in the park and ran into Joey's old gang. They were going to get rough with us and Serenity gave Hirutani a Jedi Atomic Wedgie! And then we all used Jedi Strike on the gang when they charged at us. We told them that we'll defend people and we would help them change if they want. They ran, though."

Lisa was smiling on the other end of the line. "Mai, you, Serenity and Joey used the Force properly. You were defending yourselves and letting those guys know that it's not okay to hurt people. You got them away from you without hurting them seriously. But seriously, Serenity gave Hirutani a Jedi Atomic Wedgie? Serenity?!"

"Yeah," Mai answered with a grin. "She didn't like it when he almost called her a dirty word."

"Good girl, she's tough." Lisa grinned and sent, _Serenity, good work!_

_Thanks, Lisa!_ Serenity sent back with a grin.

"Lisa, could you come over and check on Joey? He's a little winded after using his powers and I'm a little worried. He came home and went right to sleep," Mai asked, the worried edge in her voice evident.

"Of course," Lisa answered. "I'll be right over. Seto's still at work. Should I call Liz?"

Mai reached out, sensing Joey. And she blushed, sensing his dream at the moment. All that can be said of the dream was that it involved her, Joey and a very nice hotel room. _He's tasteful and sweet; I'll give him that,_ she thought. "Uh, I think it's okay if you come, Lisa. Liz doesn't need to come home."

"Okay. Mokuba and I are coming," Lisa answered. And after she and Mai said goodbye and hung up the phone, Lisa looked at her brother-in-law. "Do you want to go help, sweetie?"

Mokuba nodded. "Yeah. I don't want to be here with just the maids and butlers. I've had enough of that since Seto and I've been alone, you know?"

Lisa nodded. "Okay. If you'd like, you can help me, sweetheart, all right?"

"Okay," Mokuba agreed. "What can I do? I mean, you're the doctor."

"Well, I think you can help keep Serenity and Mai happy. You can talk to them while I check Joey, all right?" she asked.

"Yeah!" Mokuba grinned as they headed downstairs where a limo was waiting. They were to the Wheeler home in a few minutes.

"Thanks for coming," Mai said gratefully when she opened the door. "He's just worn out, I think."

Lisa nodded and headed to Joey's room where Serenity was sitting, watching her brother rest. "Hi, Lisa," she whispered, not wanting to wake the blonde teen boy. She was frowning lightly in concern and added softly, "He was so brave. He was ready to protect us, and Mai wanted me to run so those boys didn't hurt me. Joey was scared, though."

The young doctor moved quietly to the bedside, gently checking Joey's vital signs. Finally, she straightened, smiling softly. "He's fine. He just is tired and needs to rest. Since his body is still healing from the damage it took, using his powers like he did makes him tired. He'll get stronger. For now, we'll let him rest."

"Okay," Serenity said gratefully. "Thanks, Lisa. Hey, um, would you like to have dinner with us tonight? I know Mom wouldn't mind and she's hoped you'd be able to."

Lisa thought a moment as they got up and left the room. "I think we could do that if it's no trouble. I can call Seto and let him know. This is our first dinner out with friends since we've been married," she smiled.

"Well, we'll make something."

"Oh, let me help. We'll have fun!" Lisa answered eagerly. The two young women headed to the living room where Mokuba and Mai were sitting and talking. Soon the four were playing board games.

Y

Joey Wheeler slept into the evening when he woke to the sound of his mother laughing and the smell of dinner. He got out of bed and headed down to the kitchen to find out what was going on. "Hey, Joey, glad you're awake," Seto said, standing at the island counter, chopping up some tomatoes for a salad. "We're all making dinner."

"Is there anything I can do?" Joey asked, but Mai steered him straight to a chair.

"Hon, you can help by resting. We've almost got it done."

"Yes, Joey. I want to be sure you're rested," Lisa added from her position, mixing up a can of cream of chicken soup with a can of cream of mushroom soup in a bowl. "And that means nothing but good food, so we're making something that's easy on your tummy, too."

Joey recognized the dish. "It's chicken with mushroom sauce and white rice, right? Yum! But why are you addin' cream of chicken?"

"It's something my mom does and I think it enhances the flavor of the chicken," Lisa answered seriously. "She made this when I was little. It was comfort food."

About half an hour later, the seven people were sitting around the Wheelers' dining room table eating. Seto, used to fancy food, hadn't had something like chicken and rice in some time. "This is good," he said and meant it. "You guys make this sort of stuff all the time?"

Joey nodded. "Yeah. This is one of the first things I learned how to make after Ma and Ren left. See, Dad's idea of good dinners was ramen noodles or take-out. We couldn't do take-out every night, so I figured out how to cook. It's…uh…cheaper for one thing." He flushed a little at this admission of his former monetary standing. He'd been a poor kid, not on the streets, but only because he'd hustled and done what he could to pay the rent, knowing his father would drink up a lot of the money or gamble it away.

"Well, you're a good cook," Mai said glowingly, meaning it. "You are!" she asserted when he started at that. "You guys should've tasted what he made at Duelist Kingdom! It was amazing. He made a great campfire dinner, including dessert. The stuff he did with candy bars and Rice Krispies; oh, I was in heaven! Seto, you wouldn't have turned your nose up at it; it was that good!"

"Seriously?" he asked. "Joey, you cooked that well?"

Joey nodded again. "Everybody seemed to like it. But it wasn't anything special. I just made what Mai had in her duffel bag work. She had curry mix, canned meat, some veggies and some rice, so I made dinner outta that. And like Mai said, I made dessert. There weren't any leftovers or we would've given you some when you showed."

Seto's expression tightened, remembering his behavior when he showed up in the helicopter. "I was a real jerk that night."

"Seto, will you stop apologizin', pal? You've made up for it a hundred times over by now! Let it go!" Joey said firmly.

Seto looked at his friend and rival seriously. "You really mean that. You've really let it go, haven't you?" he asked, sensing Joey's emotions. "All the anger we had…"

"Seto, look…it's over. Sure, we ain't had the best relationship, but you made up for it. Right, Leese?"

Lisa looked at her husband of a week and smiled. "He did, and you both were willing to bury the hatchet and you did when you became Jedi Knights together. So it's safe to say that Seto, you have made up for what you did. So accept it from Joey."

Seto kept his eyes on Joey. And then he nodded. "Okay. Maybe it's time I let go of this. But Joey, some time, you have got to give your mom and sister a break and show me, Leese and Mokie how you cook."

Joey grinned back. "You bet, pal." And the group finished up their dinner. Mai completed the meal by bringing in dessert, a Boston cream pie that she had made herself.

"Mai, you made this?" Lisa asked. "It's delicious," she smiled as she took a bite.

Mai nodded. "Yeah. Well, when I was working on the cruise line, I talked with the chefs and they taught me how to make things. And this is one of the things I learned how to make. I was on my own so much, it was better that I knew how to cook good stuff for myself so I didn't gain weight eating fast food. Total no-no for a model."

The group talked pleasantly for another hour and then it was time to go home. "Thanks for inviting us for dinner," Seto said, smiling. "It was great."

"We're glad you could join us," Elizabeth answered, also smiling. "You three are welcome any time. See you at work on Monday, Seto."

The three Kaibas said goodbye and headed out to the limo. "That was actually fun. I didn't think I'd ever enjoy anybody's company but Mokuba's and yours, Leese," Seto admitted.

"That was a lot of fun," Lisa agreed. "What did you think, Mokuba?"

"I want to do that again," the small boy answered, grinning. "But can we have them over for dinner? Please?"

"Of course we can, little brother," Seto answered, grinning back. "It'll be fun." They arrived at home and Mokuba was sleepy. "Let's get you to bed, kiddo," the older brother said, lifting his little brother into his arms.

"I'm not…sleepy," Mokuba muttered, eyes closed as he rested his head against Seto's slim shoulder. The little boy was mostly asleep by the time Seto and Lisa got him to his room, got his pajamas on him and tucked him into bed. Lisa sat down and sang "You'll Be in My Heart," from the movie, _Tarzan_¸ and then the couple walked back down to their bedroom.

Seto kissed Lisa gently. "You have a real knack with him," he murmured, holding her close. She hugged back. "When we have kids," Seto added, "you're going to be a wonderful mother to them. You're already a great mom to Mokie."

"And you're a great dad," she answered, kissing him back. "I know if it's happened, we're going to be very happy, and Mokuba will be a good uncle/ big brother."

Seto was quiet for a moment after they released. He watched Lisa's curvy form as she undressed and then as she pulled on a cute nightgown. He could imagine her a few months from now, belly curved with pregnancy, skin glowing and her face just a little bit fatter. Once he had his own pajamas on, he embraced her gently. "I hope it's happened. I know we're young, but I'm actually a little turned on by the thought of you pregnant. If you are…" He kissed her neck lovingly and yet a little bit lustily.

"Am I to take it that you're feeling a bit frisky tonight?" she asked with a slight smirk as he moved.

"Well, we have only been married a week," he pointed out with a grin, kissing her neck and moving to her shoulders…

An hour later, Seto and Lisa were cuddled together in bed, their nightclothes back on. They had turned on a sitcom and Seto had his arm around his wife. "Do you think there's a chance you are expecting?"

"We'll know in a couple of weeks, honey," she answered softly and sleepily. "We're just a week to your sixteenth birthday, and you're already eager for fatherhood…"

"Yeah…I've had practice, but this will be different. And this one will be ours that we made together," he answered. "Babe, you'll be a great mom. Babe?" He looked down and discovered she had drifted off. "Night, Leese. I love you," he whispered, stretching with his abilities to turn off the lights and then using the remote to turn off the TV.

Y

Meanwhile, back at the Wheeler residence, Joey, Mai, Serenity and Elizabeth cleaned up the kitchen and got their pajamas on. "Joey, I think we're going to stay home from Mass tomorrow, okay?" Elizabeth said. "You need the rest and I think Father Pat will understand."

"Okay, Mom. I just hate missin', you know?" Joey answered, though he knew his mother was right. It was nice, he reflected, having her back to love and help him. He might be almost sixteen, but Joseph Aaron Wheeler knew there were times he still very much needed his mother.

"I know, sweetheart. Just don't worry about it." Elizabeth headed to her bedroom not long after that, and Serenity headed to hers. Mai hesitated.

"Mai, what's wrong?" Joey asked, noticing the hesitation.

"Joey…uh…listen, hon…I was wondering…could I sleep in your room again tonight?" she asked nervously. "I mean…I just…"

The young man moved to close the distance between them and pulled his girlfriend close. "It's okay. You've been shook up and you can't take those pills. We won't do anything…I won't do anything. You can trust me."

She nodded. "I know…you don't have to say it every time, hon. But I'm glad you aren't that kind of guy. I can sense it now."

Together, they headed into her guestroom and snuggled down under the warm comforter. That night, no one in the Wheeler home had a nightmare. The same was true for every household with a Jedi person in it.

_There! Finally, you have a new chapter! Hopefully it won't take so long next time to get a chapter up. Next time, there will be a light time skip to shortly after the events of __**This is Halloween: A Jedi League of Duelists Story**__. So please join us next time for "Changes." So please read, review and stay tuned next time! Thank you!_


	47. A Surprise and Yet Not

Chapter XLI: A Surprise and Yet Not

_Hi, everyone! Yes, I know you're all frustrated with me at how long this story is taking, but I hope you can still find it in your hearts to forgive the delay. Anyway, thanks again for staying with "The Jedi League of Duelists," and thanks for reading and reviewing! _

_The Peach Wookiee legal department would like to issue the following statement on behalf of Peach Wookiee… __She does not own the Yu-Gi-Oh franchise, nor does she own Star Wars or anything else. She owns what she owns, which isn't very much. She would also like to give credit to Agent of the Divine One for suggesting that Mokuba read _The Prince_ by Niccolo Machiavelli. Thank you._

_Author's note: This part of the story takes place in November of 2003. And an addendum: the recap was eliminated. Further, some other minor tweaks were made. Thanks for your attention._

On November eighth, four weeks after Seto and Lisa got married, she woke up, not feeling well. "Hey, babe," Seto greeted, kissing her. "How are…?" Before he could get the words out, she was racing to the bathroom, slamming the door and the sounds Seto heard made him worry. He got up and headed to the bathroom door. "Lisa? Are you all right?"

_Yes, honey,_ she sent wryly. _I'm in here throwing up because I enjoy it! Of course I'm not all right!_

Seto quickly opened the bathroom door and headed in to see his wife kneeling at the toilet. She reached up to the handle and flushed, groaning softly. "Leese," he said softly, "it's okay, I don't have to go to work this morning. I can take care of you."

It was at this moment that Mokuba made his appearance. "Big brother? Big sister, are you okay?" he asked, coming in. "Are you sick again, Lisa?"

Lisa looked up from her position on the floor at her brother-in-law and her husband. Seto was clearly shocked that she'd managed to keep this from him. "Again?" he asked.

"I'm fine, honey," she said, still looking a bit green around the gills. "I just felt a bit weird yesterday."

"And the day before yesterday and the day before that," Mokuba added. Lisa groaned softly.

"You've been sick the last few mornings and didn't tell me? And didn't let him tell me?" Seto asked a bit tightly.

"I'm sorry, honey," she apologized. "I felt better after I got up and around. I didn't want you to worry."

"Why don't you go lie down, babe?" Seto suggested. He lifted her to her feet, helped her to the sink so she could clean out her mouth and then both he and Mokuba helped her to the bed. "Just relax," the tense husband murmured softly. Lisa surprised the young men by falling asleep again.

"Mokuba," Seto asked when he and his brother stepped out of the bedroom to let Lisa sleep, "how long has this been going on?" He knelt down at his brother's level, meeting his eyes.

"She hasn't been feeling well since Monday morning," the raven-haired boy explained, looking away from his brother. "She didn't want you to worry. I was a little worried but she seemed okay after she threw up and got eating. We got my lessons done and had treats and she took a nap on Wednesday, but woke up a little bit before you got home. She kinda had a headache too."

Seto sighed, sensing his brother's mind. _He's telling me what he knows. He's not covering for her, but he has been. Sort of._ "It's okay, kiddo. Look at me," he said gently, getting his little brother to meet his eyes. "It's okay. Leese didn't want to worry me, or you, I think."

"Seto," Mokuba said softly, and then he hugged his brother. "Is she going to be okay?" he asked worriedly.

Seto nodded. "Yeah. She probably just needs to sleep. Why don't we go watch cartoons while she sleeps? When she gets up we can get her something to eat, okay? But for now, let's go get some cereal."

Mokuba nodded. "Big brother, you want cereal this morning?" he asked, stunned.

Seto grinned, sensing his brother scanning him. "Yes, Mokuba, I want cereal. And I want… Trix."

Mokuba's jaw dropped and his eyes went wide. "Okay, where is my brother and what the heck have you done with him?! Since when do you eat Trix?"

Seto smirked in the way that he used to, but somehow it wasn't the same arrogant smirk. There was now a definite sense of humor in his smirk that hadn't been there in some time. "Since I felt like it," he answered. "I don't think we've had cereal together on Saturday mornings in…man, how long has it been?"

Mokuba thought very carefully. "Hmmm…About four years ago."

Y

Four years previously, twelve-year-old Seto James Delaney (he might've been legally a Kaiba then, but he didn't feel like he was yet) sneaked down to his brother's room on Saturday morning, since Gozaburo had left the house on Friday for a business meeting in Washington, D.C. with President Clinton about Kaiba Corp's weapons contracts. This gave Seto an opportunity to see his little brother whom had been separated from him a lot in their short time in the mansion. He tiptoed through the big house, avoiding Hobson, the short and creepy butler, knowing if he were caught now, there would be hell to pay when his adoptive father got home. But fortunately, Hobson was engaged elsewhere in the mansion, so Seto made it to his brother's bedroom without incident.

Mokuba looked up from his morning cartoons when his bedroom door opened. "Big brother, you made it!" he exclaimed quietly. He was sitting on the bedroom floor at the foot of his walnut wood four-poster bed with a bowl of cereal and some orange juice and a glass of milk. And then he pulled out another bowl and a spoon from under his bed. "I snuck down to the kitchen last night and got the bowl and spoon, and I asked for a glass of milk in case I decided I didn't want orange juice. We can share that," he grinned as only five-year-olds can, also pulling a set of bendy straws from his hiding place under his bed. "Seto, I'm so glad you're here," the small boy said, hugging the twelve-year-old. "He can't keep us apart, 'cause we're brothers, right?"

Seto nodded, smiling. "No way he can keep us apart. You're my little brother, and no matter what, I'm here. Mokie, no matter what, he won't separate us, and he won't make me turn against you. He's trying to do that, but he won't succeed. Now, let's watch our cartoons!" And so the two little boys placed themselves in front of the TV and watched the latest episode of _Batman Beyond. _Seto was able to sneak back to his room without being detected, and hoped he would be able to enjoy cartoons and cereal with his brother again.

Now, four years later, Seto looked down at his brother as they walked to the mansion's kitchen. Mokuba had a little smile on his face, and his feelings of relaxation and joy radiated through the mind link to his brother. _Big brother?_ the small boy sent, _You sure Lisa will be okay?_

_Yeah, kid,_ Seto sent back. _I think she's going to be all right. We'll just let her sleep._

Y

Lisa slept until after one on that Saturday afternoon. When she woke up, she wasn't feeling sick to her stomach, but she was feeling a little bit hungry. Okay, that was an understatement. She was starving. To her surprise, there was a fresh glass of milk on the nightstand and a small bowl of saltine crackers waiting for her. "Huh?" she muttered to herself.

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Kaiba," Tzipporah smiled. The dark-haired, blue-eyed maid was standing near the bed, eager to help the young woman. "Mr. Kaiba wanted me to be in here when you woke up and have some crackers for you. You're still feeling sick in the morning?"

Lisa nodded. "I don't know if it's something I've eaten or if I've just been nervous or what. But I just don't feel like myself. I mean, I can sense everyone, but I just feel…off…"

"Perhaps you and Mokuba have worked too hard lately," the maid suggested as she helped Lisa sit up. "Just take it easy today. I'll let Mr. Kaiba and Mokuba know you're awake."

"Thanks, Tzipporah," Lisa smiled, but no sooner had the words come from her mouth that there was a knock at the door, and it creaked open. "Hey, guys," she greeted as her husband and brother-in-law came into the bedroom.

"Hi, big sister," Mokuba said, climbing up onto the bed, gently of course. "Are you feeling better?" he asked, a little worry evident in his blue-gray eyes.

"Yeah, I'm not feeling so sick. I don't know why I've felt this way," she mused, hugging the little boy.

Seto, too, sat down on the bed. "Lisa, I wish you would've told me you weren't feeling well and were feeling so sleepy. I could've gotten a tutor for Mokuba and given you a break," he sighed, hugging both his wife and his brother. He had gotten a thermometer and checked her temperature. "Hmmm, your temp's up a little. Sure you're feeling okay?" he asked, handing her the thermometer to look at.

"Hmmm," she frowned, looking at the reading. "It's only 99.8. It could be nothing. I may just have a little bug, Seto and Mokuba. Let's just take it easy today. 99.8 wouldn't keep me from my job or you guys from school. So we can just hang out."

"Leese, you threw up," Seto reminded her. "And you've been…wait a sec." He had just connected the dots belatedly. "Lisa, when was your last period?" he asked, eyes widening as he realized a very real possibility. _Thank God this isn't a few weeks after prom night and that we're married,_ he thought. _Otherwise, the tabloids would have a field day._

"They would, honey," his wife answered wryly, reminding him that he hadn't raised his mental shields. "And I didn't even think of that. It was two weeks before the wedding. And we haven't exactly been careful."

Mokuba, sitting between them, looked up. Despite knowing about some things about how it is between married couples, he didn't fully understand how babies are made. "Uh, big brother, big sister, what's the big deal about not having your period?"

The young man and woman looked at each other, and nodded, not even a telepathic word needing to be sent between them. "Mokuba, remember when we talked about how a baby is made?" Seto asked, having given Mokuba the basic "talk" before Lisa and Seto got married.

"Yeah, but what does your period have to do with it?" the boy asked curiously. Seto sighed and explained what it means when a period comes.

"…So if she'd gotten it, that would mean she wasn't pregnant. But since it hasn't come and she's been sick and her body temperature has been up, Lisa might be pregnant, little brother," Seto concluded, face slightly red.

Mokuba's eyes widened a bit. "Whoa, so I could be an uncle in a few months?"

Seto and Lisa both nodded and Lisa hugged her little brother-in-law. "Sweetie, if I am expecting, you're going to be more like a big brother to the baby than an uncle, I think. Is that all right?" she asked.

Mokuba nodded. "Yeah. That's fine with me, big sister. Big brother?"

"Yeah, kid?" Seto asked, looking down at his little brother. Mokuba got a big smile on his face.

"Can I help plan stuff with you guys? The nursery could be painted in Watapons and Kuribohs and Erus and Mokie Mokies…" Clearly, Mokuba had a lot of knowledge regarding the cuter members of the Duel Monsters kingdom.

"Slow down, squirt," Seto laughed, holding his brother, wife and possibly unborn child close. "We have to be sure there's a baby first!"

"How do we do that?" Mokuba wondered. Seto groaned, realizing there was one way to be sure.

Y

About an hour after the chat with Mokuba, Seto called for his limo. Lisa had fallen asleep again and Mokuba was playing video games with Bryce. "Roland, come with me. I need moral support," the teen CEO said, looking more than a bit apprehensive as Roland fell into step beside him. They headed to the limo and got in the car. Seto was silent for a long moment as the car began to move down the long drive to the street. "Roland, how do I do this?" he asked finally, cheeks getting two light pink spots. "I mean, I can't just go into the drug store and get one."

Roland took a deep breath. "Seto, yes you can. And for what it's worth, you're not alone. When Lorelei realized she might be pregnant the first time, she was feeling terrible and I had to go to the store and get the test. I felt like such an idiot going into the family planning aisle, but I did it. I'd been in there before, but not for a pregnancy test. But I got through it. I just went down the aisle, got the test and went to the front and paid for it. Nobody hassled me and it was in a bag." He noticed Seto's rather tense expression and added, "I know you have the press to worry about too, but I'll walk in with you and make sure no one's too close."

Seto nodded again, looking a little better. "Thanks, Roland. And thanks for helping me through this. I'm glad you're around."

"No problem, Seto." All too soon, they arrived at the drug store. Fortunately it wasn't busy at all and the teen CEO and his bodyguard got down to the family planning aisle. There were all kinds of things in that aisle that made Seto blush slightly, but he knew it would get easier with time.

"Roland, which one of these should I get?" Seto asked quietly. The bodyguard silently picked up one of the tests and handed it to his principal.

"This one," the guard whispered back as Seto read the box. "It's simple to use and the readout is pretty easy to understand. When she wakes up from her nap, you can help her with the test. And I'm sure she can see the doctor on Monday. The doctor can confirm she's expecting." Seto nodded. And with the test in hand, as well as a bag of chips, the two men headed up to an open counter, where he paid for his things.

They arrived home at two thirty to find Mokuba sitting next to Lisa on the big bed, watching _Finding Nemo. _"Hey, guys," the small boy greeted from his spot. "Lisa's been sleeping off and on, so I turned on a movie_._"

"Good idea, kid. Has she been to the bathroom yet?" Seto asked.

Mokuba shook his head. "Nope."

It was at this time that Lisa, who'd been dozing for the past hour, woke up. "Huh? Oh, hi, honey. What's that?"

Seto held up the bag and pulled out the pregnancy test. "Roland told me which one to get," he explained, flushing a little. "I'll help you to the bathroom." And so the couple headed into the bathroom and she took the test. Then the wait began. Seto, Lisa and Mokuba sat together on the bed while Roland took a break with Bryce.

"How long until we know, guys?" Mokuba asked, cuddling between them.

"Just a couple of minutes, angel," Lisa explained, keeping the boy close. "If I am expecting, this will be a big change for all of us, but one thing that won't change is how Seto and I feel about you, all right?"

Mokuba nodded. "Yeah. Lisa, can you sense the baby?" he asked curiously. "I mean, you're a Jedi."

Lisa looked thoughtful for a brief moment. "It might be a little early yet, sweetie."

Seto, too, got a thoughtful look on his face. "Maybe we will sense the baby," he said finally. "I wonder what it'll think." The three Kaibas mulled this over and then it was time to check the test.

Lisa went into the bathroom and to the counter next to the toilet. The test was lying on the counter, and she picked it up. She looked at the little window on the little wand, and her eyes smarted when she saw the results. She came out of the bathroom to her husband and brother-in-law. "Lisa, what does it say?" Seto asked, taking in her tears. "Is it… Wait…" She was smiling and crying at the same time.

"Honey, it's positive," she breathed happily.

Mokuba couldn't help but whoop happily and gently hug his sister-in-law. Seto, though, stood stunned for a long moment. "I…I'm gonna be a daddy?" he asked, sensing the truth and still in disbelief. "R-really?" She nodded, still teary, and he pulled her into his arms, while Mokuba hugged them both around the legs. "Love you, babe," Seto murmured in her ear. "So what now?" he asked softly.

"Well… I probably should call my mother, and then…" The phone rang. Lisa picked it up. "Hello? Kaiba residence," she said, getting some control of herself.

"Hi, honey," Gigi Hammond's voice came over the phone. "How are you feeling?" Gigi had called earlier in the week when her daughter had been sleepy and not feeling well.

"Speak of the devil," Lisa mouthed to her husband. Then she answered, "I'm feeling a bit better, Mom, and we figured out why I haven't been feeling like myself. Are you sitting down?"

"Yeah, sweetie, I'm in the bedroom with the dog. Why? Is it bad news?" Gigi asked worriedly. "Are you all right?"

"Well, Mom…Actually, I will be in about eight months."

"Wh-what? Honey, are you pregnant?!" Gigi gasped.

"We think so. Seto went and got a pregnancy test and it came up positive, Mom. It's been six weeks since I last had that time of the month, and I've been sick in the mornings, so I think the test is accurate. But I'm going to see Darla as soon as she can fit me in, all right?"

"Does Seto know?"

"He does, and he's thrilled," Seto said loudly enough that Gigi could hear it. She laughed and then promised to call Lisa's father at his weekend job.

"Now, Lisa, take good care of yourself today and tomorrow. You have busy days ahead, and you've been teaching Mokuba to boot, angel," Gigi smiled. "Take care of yourself and the baby, okay?"

"I will, Mom. I love you."

"Love you too, sweetheart," Gigi answered, and mother and daughter said goodbye, hanging up the phone.

Despite the distance between her and her family, Lisa sensed her brother's and her father's shock and joy at the news, like a warming fire. "They know," she said, smiling big.

"It's nice to feel that," Seto smiled back, with Mokuba smiling too. "These powers are a good thing, babe." And then the phone rang and Seto sighed. He could sense the gang who had felt the waves of worry, nervousness and sudden warmth, but hadn't probed the Kaibas for answers. "And sometimes," he sighed again, "they don't allow for privacy."

"Honey," Lisa soothed, "Mai, Teá and Serenity knew I was feeling lousy the last few days. And I'll bet you told Liz."

"I did," he sighed. "I mentioned it to her that you weren't feeling well. She probably told Joey."

"And Joey and Mai told Yugi, Tristan, Duke and Bakura," Mokuba supplied.

Seto picked up the phone on the third ring, and said, "Hello?"

"Hey, Seto, it's Yugi," the King of Games' voice came through the receiver. "The gang's at Joey's and we were all wondering how Lisa was feeling. We felt her being sick and then…uh," the teen's voice stammered, showing nervousness. "Well, we felt all three of you feeling happy so we wanted to see if everything was all right."

"Yugi, I'm putting you and the gang on speaker phone. We have some pretty important news," Seto said calmly.

He punched the button for the speaker phone and then… "_**Hey Leese**_!" Joey cheered first. And then he yelped as Teá and Mai grabbed him by the ears. "_**Ouch**_! What was that for?!" he exclaimed.

"Being too loud!" Mai growled.

"Yeah, she doesn't feel well," Teá added. "Mai?"

"Yeah?" the pretty blonde girl asked the brunette.

"How did we do that together?"

"Perfect timing," Mai decided, and they let Joey go.

"Dang it," he groaned. "Sorry, Leese," the blonde boy apologized.

"It's okay, Joey. Hey, guys," Lisa greeted.

Bakura's soft British voice came over the speaker. "Hello, Lisa. I'm sorry you were feeling unwell. Are you feeling better?" he asked.

"Yeah, Lisa. You okay?" Tristan, Duke and the others asked.

The mom-to-be looked at her husband with a smile, and he nodded. "Well, everybody," she began, "I'm probably going to be feeling a bit sick for a little longer, but that should fade soon. I need to have a test on Monday with Darla to confirm it, but guys, I'm pregnant!" There was silence for a moment, but none of the three Kaibas were surprised when they felt the wave of euphoria and then heard the joyous shouts.

Y

On Monday morning, Lisa and Mokuba headed to Domino Children's Hospital. She was back at work in the hospital's clinic and making her rounds while helping Mokuba to study. "How do you do it?" Scout Rhodes asked, smiling, a twinkle in her eyes as Lisa came out of a room and checked Mokuba's math work. "You're teaching him and doing your rounds. It's amazing."

"Just good time management, I guess," Lisa grinned. "And Mokuba's such a good learner. He absorbs everything like a sponge. He'll be ready to be tested for high school exams before Christmas." And then she turned a light shade of green as she smelled a cleaning agent. "Oh, crap!" she yelped and ran for the bathroom.

"Lisa?" Scout asked, following the young woman. She then heard the same sounds Seto had heard a couple of mornings before. "Oh, honey," she said when the young doctor came from the bathroom stall, "you just can't shake this, can you?"

"Well, Scout," Lisa began, "I don't think I'm regular sick." And she told her friend what she'd told Darla early this morning. "…So it's a good possibility I'm expecting."

"Oh, sweetie, that's wonderful! And I know you're going to be a good mother. Are you seeing Darla?" the mother of two asked eagerly.

"Yeah, I'm seeing her in half an hour. I'll have Mokuba busy with his reading. He's been reading _The Prince_ by Machiavelli. He chose that one over Ayn Rand's _The Virtue of Selfishness_, but he will read the other one. He needs the background in philosophy; Seto read Friedrich Nietzsche's _Thus Spake Zarathustra_ and he agrees with me that Mokuba could use more philosophy."

"Good grief, does Mokuba understand it?" Scout asked, stunned.

"You'd be surprised," Lisa answered, now cleaned up and ready.

Half an hour later, the young mother-to-be brought Mokuba into the waiting room of Dr. Darla Truesdale. The doctor with the fluffy blue hair and spectacles gave a happy greeting to Mokuba and led Lisa into an exam room. "Okay, Lisa, I think you know the routine," she smiled, holding an exam gown out to the teen.

Lisa nodded. "You bet. Hard to believe my first exam like this was five weeks ago," she said and blushed. "Now I'm going to be a mom," she murmured.

"Let me be sure of that," Darla smiled, remembering how excited she'd been when she found out she was expecting Zane about five years previously. She left the room to give Lisa some privacy and then returned. "Let's get you up in the chair," she said, helping her friend into a chair with stirrups. Lisa sat in the chair with her legs in the appropriate position so Darla could check her out. "Hmmm, everything's healthy, and there is some discoloration in the right places," she said when she finished and Lisa had her normal clothes back on. "You can go home and tell your husband this evening that he is definitely going to be a father. And judging by the look of things, you have eight months to go."

"Thank you, Darla, thank you!" the young woman said, hugging her friend. "Oh, goodness, I've already got the nursery planned in my head! I'm so excited."

"Just relax, sweetie. Now, you need to get on pre-natal vitamins and we need to set you up for check-ups…" Darla walked Lisa through what would happen in the next eight months of her pregnancy and then sent her out to her brother-in-law.

"Are you okay, big sister?" Mokuba asked. "Are you going to have a baby?" He hugged her and looked up at her curiously, sensing her happiness. "You are, aren't you?"

She nodded. "Yeah, sweetheart. We'll go to lunch after bit, and I'll be glad to answer your questions about what's going to happen. Did you finish your chapter of _The Prince_?"

"Yeah, and I don't think I agree with what Machiavelli said about a hereditary prince not having to prove himself. I mean, if you look at it from Seto's experience, he inherited his seat from Gozaburo and the Big Five tried to kill him because they didn't want him to be their leader," the small boy said thoughtfully. "Seto also didn't mess with their homes or really their property, and yet they still hated him." The two discussed Machiavelli as they headed down to the hospital clinic and Mokuba showed surprisingly great understanding of what he'd read. "…So that's what I think. You might have to be feared sometimes, but most of the time, I think it's better if people like you. Then they aren't going to try to hurt you through getting to the people you care about, right?"

Lisa thought carefully. "Hmmm, I think you could be right on that, Mokuba…"

The young woman and little boy got through the day and returned home about 6:30 PM. Seto was home from school and the office and was at the front door to greet them. "So," he asked, "is it…happening?"

She nodded. "You're going to be a daddy." And the little family hugged close, enjoying the moment. They called Lisa's family and their friends, and the next day, they celebrated. The future Kaiba baby would be a very much-loved child indeed.

_So Lisa is expecting and everyone is thrilled. It looks like good things are happening for the gang now. But is Lisa's dream going to occur? Is there something dark on the horizon? Find out next time in "January Celebration." So until next time, please read, review and stay tuned! Thank you!_


	48. January Celebration

Chapter XLII: January Celebration

_Hello again, Jedi League fans! I know, you're surprised I got a new chapter done fairly quickly, but I had some time to do it and this chapter didn't take a great deal of redoing, though it did take some research. Thank you for reading and reviewing, everyone! I really appreciate it! Now, so everyone's not confused, my timeline is going to be stretched out from 2003-2006. So the events you have witnessed are well before the events of Battle City. And clearly in this timeline there are differences, thanks to Seto deciding to be a friend. Anyway, I'm sure you're all eager to get on with the story!_

_Disclaimer: Peach doesn't own the Yu-Gi-Oh franchise, or Star Wars. She only owns this storyline, her OCs, and this version of the Yugi-verse. She would also like to thank various medical websites for information on pregnancy and injuries. Thank you very much._

_Warning: Violence, injury and death in this chapter._

_Author's note: The main events in this chapter take place in January of 2004, approximately three months after Lisa conceived. This, in my timeline is about two years before Battle City. My timeline is perhaps a bit different from either version of canon, but it is for a good purpose. A further note: Asuma sounds like Yugi because Dan Green voiced Asuma in the English dub of the __PatLabor __TV series and OVA. Also, minor trims and tweaks were made._

The next two months were rather peaceful for the gang, rapidly becoming known as Team YSJM throughout Domino, known as such because of the four duelists in the group. They had Thanksgiving together because no one left town. Seto and Lisa had originally planned to go up to Seattle to be with her family, but Lisa just felt too tired and sick to do so. "You just take care of yourself, angel," Gigi said gently when Lisa had called to let her mother know she and her husband and brother-in-law wouldn't be coming. "Next Thanksgiving will be better anyway. Don't be upset with yourself, Lisa. You have to be concerned with your health and the baby's health."

"Thanks, Mom," Lisa said gratefully. "I love you."

"Love you too, sweetie," Gigi answered and they hung up the phone.

Y

Not quite two weeks later, on December eighth, Mokuba headed to Domino High School, but not as a student. He looked up at the front doors of the school as he approached between his brother and sister-in-law, nervous. "I don't know if I can do this," he sighed, holding their hands. "I mean, what if I don't do so well?"

The older Kaibas stopped short of the door and Lisa knelt down, grateful that she was only at the start of her second month. She placed her small hands on the little boy's shoulders, smiling. "Mokie, angel, you need to concentrate on doing your very best. That's all your brother and I care about. We love you and no matter how you do, as long as you did your very best, we are proud of you."

"Yeah, kid," Seto added, also kneeling to his brother's level. "You're going to do fine, Mokuba. You can do this. I've seen what you can do, and you are going to give it your best. I know you are. And that's all I'm going to ask of you, kid." The three hugged, and they sensed, rather than saw, the flash of cameras. "Don't worry; you'll do all right."

The little boy nodded, and the three headed into the school together. Mokuba was checked in at the office and then he was escorted into an unused classroom. "Okay, Mokuba, you will have four hours to do this exam and you will be allowed breaks for snacks, water and trips to the bathroom. You'll have the pens and pencils that you need and you'll use your head for this, okay?" the proctor, Mrs. Eng, a plump Asian woman, smiled at the boy.

"Yes, thank you, Mrs. Eng," Mokuba answered, smiling back a little. He took a number two pencil, bright yellow with a pink eraser on top, freshly sharpened, and began the test. _This is easy_, he thought as he worked through the math section. He had no trouble with math, thanks to his own nature and his brother helping him through that subject. And so he continued on…

Outside the classroom, Seto sat with his arm around his wife as they waited on a plush bench. "He'll be okay, babe. We know he will be," he soothed, sensing her worry.

"Yeah, I know, honey. I'm glad your teachers didn't mind you staying here with me while we wait for him," she murmured, laying her head against his chest. "I might fall asleep again."

"You sure it's normal to be so sleepy?" he asked, a little bit concerned.

"Yeah, Darla said it's just my body helping the baby to grow. It'll pass, honey. I just need to pace myself and take breaks as I need to. The morning sickness isn't bad anymore and I'm feeling better."

"Yeah," he responded. "How long until we're sure the baby's safe? I mean, I know there's a risk this early…" He, of course, was talking about the possibility of miscarriage, but Lisa knew the answer.

"Seto, Darla thinks we should be okay by New Year's. That's about when I should be in the second trimester. She says I'm healthy and the baby's healthy, so we should be fine," she said gently, eyes closed. "I know you're nervous and so am I. This is the first time for us to go through this, but you've raised a baby before. You know more than I do first-hand," she murmured.

"Yeah, but there's a difference this time. I'm this baby's dad, not just his brother. And I made the baby with you. And I'm not the one carrying the baby," the young man murmured back.

"Mmmhmmm," she sighed, clearly almost asleep. He put his arm around her, letting her doze off.

The four hours passed and at one o' clock, Mokuba came out of the room excitedly. "I'm done, big brother and big sister!" he grinned happily. "And it was easy!"

"Good job, kid," Seto grinned back as Lisa woke up.

"Oh, are you done, Mokie?" she asked as he came to them both for a hug.

"Yeah, Lisa, and the math section was easy! The vocabulary was a little harder but thanks to what you taught me, I was able to do it. So what do we do now?" the little boy asked.

"Well, I have to get to my last classes of the day and get my homework," Seto said, "and you and Lisa can go have lunch. Then tonight we can go out for dinner or have the cook make whatever you want, kid. You worked hard today and we're proud of you."

"Thanks, big brother. Lisa, does this mean we don't have lessons today?"

"Sorry, Mokuba, but you still have lessons," Lisa sighed, smiling. "But since I'm off work, this afternoon, it's art class. So we'll put on our smocks and do our Jackson Pollack water gun project!"

Seto's eyebrows raised. "Do I even want to know?" he asked.

"Honey, we'll be outside away from the house," Lisa soothed her husband, who clearly had images of an impromptu paint war, enhanced with Jedi talent, which resulted in the mansion being covered in rainbow colors. "We won't get in a paint war and we'll be finished before you get home. So does that sound fun, Mokuba?"

"Yeah!" the boy grinned happily. And so Seto kissed his wife goodbye and hugged his little brother and headed off to class. Lisa and Mokuba headed home, ate lunch and did their lessons, and then Seto came home from work that evening to celebrate with his family.

On Friday the twelfth, Mokuba found out that he would indeed be in Domino High School after Christmas Break. Consequently, that night, the entire Jedi group celebrated at Gino's Italian Family Restaurant.

Y

A few weeks later, the gang celebrated Christmas together. It was a fairly quiet celebration; that is, until they started singing silly Christmas carols. "My turn!" Lisa whooped, enjoying the sheer immaturity. "Jingle bells, Batman smells, Robin laid an egg!"

"The Batmobile lost a wheel and the Joker got away. _**Hey**_!" Bakura added, grinning. They sang silly carols until their throats were sore from laughing and singing, and then they drank hot apple cider and hot chocolate. They opened gifts (Seto almost had figured out how to build light sabers but they weren't quite ready yet) and then the rest of the gang went home, leaving the Kaibas to rest.

A week later, the Kaibas celebrated New Year's Eve quietly, ringing in the New Year together with the East Coast. Seto and Mokuba, however, stayed up after Lisa went to bed and rang in the New Year with Domino City and the rest of the West Coast. "Next New Year's Eve, it'll be all of us, kid," Seto smiled, thinking of the baby growing in his wife's belly. _By next New Year's Eve, the baby will be almost six months old_, he thought, envisioning a child with brown hair and Lisa's happy smile. Seto didn't care if it was a boy or a girl; he just wanted a healthy, happy baby and Lisa to be healthy and happy too. After the Domino fireworks were over on the TV, the Kaiba brothers headed up to bed.

"Seto, can I sleep with you guys tonight?" Mokuba asked softly as his brother helped him into his pajamas.

Seto looked thoughtful. His brother looked a little nervous. "Everything okay, kid?" he asked, concerned.

"No… it's just… I guess I feel uneasy, big brother," Mokuba admitted. "I'm not sure why, though. I guess. Maybe it's because I start school with you and the guys on Monday. I'm going from elementary school to high school. Seto, I'm skipping six grades and I know you guys will all watch out for me, but still, it's kinda weird. And…I don't know. I can't explain it, bro. I don't know; it's a lot of stuff."

Seto thought quickly with his mental shields up. _Hmmm…we don't do that every night… I guess we can do it tonight._ "Mokuba," he said finally, "okay, but remember, this is a sometimes thing."

"I know," Mokuba answered softly. And so the young man and little boy tiptoed into the quiet bedroom, bathed in moonlight. They could see Lisa sleeping on her side of the bed, curled up slightly in the blankets. Seto could see the light bump on her belly. To their surprise, she was already showing a little and the press had been informed of her condition. Now Seto helped his brother into bed and then climbed into bed himself. His arm rested across his brother, his wife and his unborn child.

_This is the happiest I've ever been_, he thought, drifting off.

On New Year's Day, as Mokuba watched the Tournament of Roses Parade on TV at the foot of the bed in the huge bedroom, Seto and Lisa cuddled close at the head of the bed. "Honey, I've been thinking," Lisa said softly.

"Yeah, babe, what is it?" Seto asked, keeping her close.

"Well, I was thinking that I'm off on Wednesday, and I'd like to do something with Mokuba for the day. That'll be six months before his birthday and more than likely, I'll have just had the baby and we'll all be exhausted. I'm due on the Fourth of July and we might not even have that party if I'm on time. I know he's just starting at Domino High, but I'd just like to have that one day with him so he doesn't feel left out. The baby's going to change our lives, but I don't want Mokuba to ever feel that we're leaving him out," she said calmly.

Seto nodded. "I hadn't thought of that. I think that's a good idea, Leese. So do you want to take him on your own?"

"Yeah, I'm okay to do that," she smiled. "I think he'll want to go to the Domino Deluxe Amusement Park and to lunch and then in the afternoon we could do something with the team and then in the evening, it would just be us. Does that sound good?"

"Yeah. Should we ask him?" he wondered. She nodded and as she had figured, Mokuba was thrilled with the prospect. And so they planned for Wednesday, January 7, 2004, to be a very special day for Mokuba Richard Kaiba.

Y

On Monday, January fifth, Mokuba awoke, excited at 5:30 AM. _I start high school_, he thought happily. He sat up in bed and looked around his room. On a special clothes hanger lay his brand new blue Domino High School uniform. There was a pair of blue pants, a new blue jacket and a white shirt, all of which had been freshly pressed by one of the house staff. In addition to the uniform was a new pair of Blue Eyes White Dragon boxers, plus a pair of white socks and his favorite lucky sneakers.

Next to his clothes was his randoseru, a backpack Seto had gotten for Mokuba when he'd started elementary school. It was a special sort of backpack imported from Japan that elementary students carried in that country and Seto liked how durable it was. Yugi Muto, in fact, carried one, rather than carrying the briefcases that the other guys at Domino High carried. So Mokuba somehow didn't mind carrying his. _This is so…__**cool**__!_ he thought, grinning.

Mokuba went into the bathroom, got his shower, blew his hair dry and got dressed. He admired his new uniform on his person, grinning as only a nine-year-old can, and then he looked at the clock. _Hmmm… 6:15… I wonder if…_ And then he sensed it.

"Hi, sweetie," Lisa said as she and Seto came through the bedroom door. "You're all ready?"

He nodded, coming over to give her and his brother big hugs. "Yeah! I'm going to high school. Seto, I skipped six grades. Does this mean I'm smarter than you?"

The teen CEO grinned and then cracked up. "No, kid! It just means you're gifted, but you will never be smarter than me! And… I know something else," he said in a deceptively calm voice, raising his mental shields.

"What?" Mokuba asked curiously, trying to sense his brother's intentions. And then he felt a pair of long fingers tickling him under the armpits. He squealed happily as his brother tickled him.

"The Tickle Monster will always be in attack mode to get you!" Seto laughed, finally releasing his brother.

Mokuba managed to catch his breath and hugged his brother. "So what's our first class, bro?"

Seto checked a paper copy of his schedule. "Hmm, homeroom is American Government II with Ms. Howson. I think you'll like her. She won't go easy on you, though."

"I know, big bro. Lisa, are you gonna be okay without me?" Mokuba asked, a little bit worried. He couldn't shake that feeling he had, that something might happen. He hadn't yet had a flash of the future like his brother or sister-in-law had had, but what he did have was a feeling that something wasn't quite right.

Lisa nodded. "I'll be okay, Mokuba. I'm going to Domino Children's today and then we'll all see each other after my shift. You're going to have a fun day today. Now, shall we get some breakfast?" she asked with a smile.

Mokuba grinned, his worry momentarily forgotten. "Yeah!" And so they headed downstairs to eat. By 7:15, the family was ready to go. Lisa was dropped off at Domino Children's first, as her rounds started at 7:30. And then Seto and Mokuba were dropped off at Domino High School, as their first class was at 7:45.

Seto led Mokuba to his shoe locker at the front of the school. "Okay, sneakers off, kid and put on the slippers," the older Kaiba brother explained. "It's part of the school tradition since our town was…"

"Founded by Japanese-Americans after World War II and the internment," Mokuba finished with him, smiling as he pulled off his sneakers and put on a pair of school slippers. The small boy just barely managed to put his sneakers in his shoe locker and then the boys headed to their book lockers.

"Hey, Mokuba!" Yugi greeted cheerfully as the Kaiba brothers came up to the lockers where the rest of the gang already was. "Welcome to Domino High!"

"Thanks, Yugi! So we don't get recess or anything?" the small boy asked.

"No, kid; the jungle gym ended with the sixth grade," Joey said, reaching out and ruffling Mokuba's raven hair. "But we've got gym class today, so it ain't bad. I think we're playin' dodge ball. Mr. Anderson likes doin' that the first day. He says it keeps us on our toes."

"Okay, I can sit through stuff. But it's not like business meetings where I have my Game Boy," the nine-year-old sighed, thinking of his beloved Game Boy Advance and collection of games that he played during Seto's many meetings.

"No, it isn't," Tristan grinned, "and sometimes, it's more entertaining." Mokuba nodded, hoping what he sensed from his friends and brother was true.

As the young men and women at Domino High headed to classes and Mokuba was introduced to homeroom, Lisa came out of the doctors' locker room wearing scrubs with a looser pair of pants. "How are you feeling, Lisa?" Darla asked as she and the younger doctor made their exit from the room.

"Lots better, Darla," the mother-to-be grinned. "I haven't been nauseous in two weeks and Seto already noticed the bump!"

"I'll bet he's the type that likes how a pregnant woman looks. And Domino's excited about you having a baby!" About three weeks previously, Seto and Lisa had proudly announced to the media that they were expecting their first child. They had gladly taken pictures with the press so the paparazzi would leave them alone. And so far, it had worked. Well, that and Seto telling every organization that used paparazzi that he would have his lawyers on anyone who got too close to his family without authorization.

"Yeah, to both. He and I haven't been close as much, but he's been wanting to be. But he's waiting for when I feel a little bit better. He says it'll be more fun when I'm up to it and he likes the anticipation. I think we'll send Mokuba over to one of our friends when that happens," Lisa concluded with a saucy smile.

"Well, I think I can clear you for that whenever you're ready. Just remember to tell him that won't hurt the baby and that I said so. I've known enough expectant fathers to know that they worry about hurting the baby or hurting you or that the baby will know what's going on," Darla grinned back.

"Everything okay?" Jayda Yuki asked, coming up to the two women.

"Yeah, everything's fine, Jayda," Lisa answered, grinning. "How's Jaden?"

"Oh, he's fine," the brunette mother answered with a sheepish grin. "He had Pixie Stix yesterday in church. Nobody warned his teacher. And then he headed to the bathroom, stripped and ran around the room in nothing but his birthday suit. And then he escaped and ran through the sanctuary and the pastor took note of the fact that Jaden was a child without sin, as he was naked and clearly felt no shame. Fortunately everyone laughed, but still that was mortifying. We were so embarrassed. But no one seemed to care." Jayda blushed at the memory of seeing her soon-to-be three-year-old son running down the center aisle of the Fruit of the Vine Church wearing nothing but his happy grin. She and Hisoka had been glad to get Jaden and his clothes and get out of church.

Lisa chuckled. "Well, the pastor was nice about it. And Jaden is such a sweet, innocent little boy. I hope my baby is as happy as he is!" And so the doctors went on their rounds.

Y

Monday and Tuesday passed without incident and Wednesday morning dawned clear, cool and bright. Mokuba and Lisa slept in, but both of them awoke in time to see Seto off to school.

"You two could've slept longer," Seto jokingly scolded his wife, grinning. "But I'm glad you two woke up."

"Yeah, bro! Today's kinda like my birthday!" Mokuba grinned excitedly. "I get to hang out with Lisa and we'll have fun together! And then you'll come home and we'll hang with the guys and then you, Lisa and I can have dinner!"

"Sounds like a plan, kid." Seto knelt and hugged his brother. "Just don't push her too hard, okay? She's been more awake lately, but she still gets tired."

"I know," Mokuba groaned in the typical manner of children. "We'll be careful, big brother. Lisa won't go on any roller coaster rides. I won't let her," he promised.

"Seto, we'll be fine," Lisa added. "Bryce called in with the flu and you should take Roland with you. It'll be okay."

Seto sighed. She had a point. "Just promise you'll try and be safe, babe. Remember you're looking out for you, Mokuba and little…whoever." He hugged his brother, then hugged and kissed his wife. "Bye, kid. Bye, Leese." And then he laid his hand on the little bulge of her abdomen. "And bye, little…whoever… Daddy loves you." With that, Seto headed off to school with a smile. In his wallet was the first ultrasound that showed the baby's profile and had let him, Lisa and Mokuba hear the baby's heartbeat for the very first time. _I might be young to be a dad_¸ Seto James Kaiba mused, _but that is one of the most amazing things I've ever experienced. I want to be that child's father._ Seto got to school, met up with the gang, and got into his lessons.

In a rough part of Domino, at the same time Seto was settling into second period English Literature with Yugi, Mai, Teá, Joey and Bakura, and as Lisa and Mokuba got ready to go to the Domino Deluxe Amusement Park, a young man worked in a garage over a bright blue Toyota Camry. He was wiring it so it could be remotely controlled and how he was doing this would not be traceable to him. _I'm going take your happiness, Seto Kaiba, as your monster of a father took mine_, the young man thought. He had been in shadow under the car, but now sat up, putting his image in the light. He was a young man with dark red hair in a modified pageboy style, stormy gray eyes and a very slim build. Around his neck was a strange greenish jewel over his off-white belly shirt.

He made the final adjustments to the remote system, smiling grimly. He opened the garage's door and punched a button on his remote control. The car's engine roared to life. _It's done,_ he thought. _Mikey, when I find you, I'll be able to tell you Mom and Dad are avenged. That jerk, Seto Kaiba will know what it feels like to lose everything and everyone around him. _He removed a small action figure from his pocket. It was partially melted, but one could tell it had once been a Dyna Dude action figure. _I will avenge you, little brother,_ the young man thought. _Dartz's plan won't work fast enough. _And then Alister Stoyanovich made his final checks of the Toyota's systems plus the cameras he'd attached to the car to be sure of his target.

Y

At the Spiderland Video Arcade, Lisa and Mokuba played Dance Dance Revolution. "I…I think we both suck!" the boy grinned sheepishly as they danced to KC and the Sunshine Band's "Shake Your Booty." They had made lots of mistakes but people watched eagerly and clapped as the two finished and bowed to the crowd, chuckling.

"Yeah, but I think the crowd enjoyed watching us," Lisa said with a smile. "Mokuba, let's go get some ice cream. I'm a little hungry. How about you?"

"Yeah, that sounds good, Lisa. But it's almost noon. Shouldn't we get lunch?" he answered in surprise. And then he read her emotions. "Oh, you're just craving it, huh?"

"Yeah," she admitted. "Good thing Dreamery Creamery is open now. We can have a late lunch."

"Or we can graze," the boy grinned, liking the fact that Lisa's sweet tooth had become a monster in attack mode, thanks to her changing body. And so they headed to the ice cream parlor. And then they headed to the Domino Deluxe Amusement Park where Mokuba went on most of the rides alone since Lisa couldn't. At 1:45 when Mokuba was finished, the two left the park as amusement park food didn't sound appealing to either of them. They got on the city light rail system and rode to the center of town.

"Hey, big sister?"

"Yeah, Mokuba?" she asked as they walked from the light rail station.

"Why don't we just get some smoothies? I mean, it's almost 2:15 and that's something healthy," the boy suggested. "Then we can eat something really good at dinner!"

Lisa thought about it and nodded, smiling. "Let's do that, Mokuba. I think a raspberry smoothie with a multivitamin booster sounds good right now. What do you feel like for dinner?"

"Well…" Mokuba thought about it and talked about the possibilities, not entirely sure of what he wanted. Little did he know that the special dinner wouldn't happen.

As Mokuba and Lisa had walked and laughed, Alister had started his remote car and driven it around the city with a mannequin. And as they'd come from the light rail station, his camera had caught sight of them. He'd driven the car around, following them, and preparing to strike when there was no one else close enough to be hit. _I won't hurt the truly innocent,_ he thought, neglecting to think of the unborn child Lisa carried within her. In the redheaded teen's mind, anyone whose last name was Kaiba was guilty for him losing his family. And now, he saw his opportunity. The two were waiting to cross the street a few yards from where the car was. The crosswalk light turned and the boy and young woman began to cross. Alister revved the engine and the car shot down the street…

Lisa heard the engine and saw the car speeding toward them. Mokuba saw it too. Even with their abilities, there was no way they could move fast enough. She reached to sense the driver and realized there was no one in the car. "_**Mokuba**_!" she yelped as the car bore down on them and shoved him away.

At Domino High, all the Jedi teens felt a hot jolt of fear from their master and the youngest of their number. "Lisa?!" Seto muttered, feeling it the strongest. "Mokuba?!"

And at the crosswalk, Mokuba looked up, certain that he was going to die at nine-and-a-half. He felt Lisa push him, but it didn't feel like enough. He closed his blue-gray eyes, anticipating the blow. He felt what seemed like a gust of wind, heard a loud metallic thump and then a crash a split second later as the car crashed into a brick wall at the end of the street. He had shut his mind off to Lisa so she wouldn't feel him getting hurt. This had meant he couldn't sense her, either. He opened his eyes. _Huh? I'm on the other side of the street… Lisa teleported me,_ he thought. _But where's…_? He turned around, looking for his big sister, and then… "_**Lisa**_!" he screamed. She was in the street, her legs and right arm at odd angles and a gash on her forehead. Her eyes were closed, and blood was pooling beneath her. Traffic had stopped in both directions and Mokuba ran out to his sister-in-law. "_**Big sister**_!" he screeched, terrified at the sight of her.

And back at Domino High, Seto felt his brother's and wife's pain like a knife. Mokuba's pain kept crying out to him, but Lisa… _Guys! I've lost contact with Leese,_ he sent desperately to the rest of the team. Fortunately, it was just before the day's final class, so the rest of the group raced down the hall to the teen CEO.

"Seto, man, what happened?" Joey asked. "It felt like somethin' really bad happened." His brown eyes were wide with fear. "We can't sense her either! But Moks… he's scared but we can't…"

Mai was trembling from what she sensed. Today, in addition to wearing the Domino High uniform, her hair was pulled back and up in a pink bow. "He won't communicate with us. And…Lisa can't, for whatever reason… We have to…" She was about to say, "get out of here," but then, Seto's cell phone rang.

He looked at the number. "It's Lisa's phone." He picked up, and said, "Hello, this is Seto Kaiba."

"Mr. Kaiba, this is Officer Asuma Shinohara," a voice said on the other end of the line. Oddly, it sounded kind of like an older Yugi, but not the same as when he dueled. "Your wife has been hurt and we're loading her into an ambulance. Your brother is unharmed and you need to hurry. We're taking her to Domino Children's Hospital, sir. Please hurry." Seto stretched out his mind to touch the police officer and he was clearly worried.

And so the young husband said, "I'll be right there… Please, tell my brother." And so, they hung up. "Guys… I have to," he managed to say.

"Seto, we're all here for you," Tristan said quickly. "And that means we all leave."

Just then, Bakura came from out of the throng of students to the gang. "Guys, is everything all right…? It isn't, is it?" he asked, seeing their faces.

Teá moaned softly. "No. Bakura, Lisa's been hurt. It's serious. We can't sense her. And Mokuba's really freaked out; come with us."

The British teen nodded and together the group headed to the school office. "Mr. Darby," Seto said to the principal, "my wife is…"

Regis Darby had seen the look that was currently in Seto's eyes. He'd seen it in the eyes of his family, friends and colleagues when they'd faced their loved ones' near-deaths. Now, he saw it in the eyes of a young man who'd already lost people he loved and now just might lose his wife and unborn child. "It's okay; just go. All of you. Let me know what happens to them. Seto, you've got to take care of your family, and you need your family and friends around you. We'll do what we can to help."

Seto nodded. "Thank you, Mr. Darby. I'll…" He suddenly couldn't talk, his throat constricting painfully.

"Just go, kid," the principal said, eyes soft and concerned. With that, the gang left the school.

Bakura sighed softly as they headed for the waiting limo. "I wish I could sense what's going on. Maybe I could help." The white-blonde young man couldn't help wishing that he had those powers that the others had. _But whatever Lisa sensed just won't clear… What's wrong with me?_ He wondered, mentally sighing as they climbed into the car. And deep within the good young man's psyche, so deep he couldn't discern it, a dark presence chuckled wickedly. _Nothing's wrong with you,_ the dark presence thought. _And if she doesn't survive, these foolish mortals will likely train us because they won't sense me well enough. And then we shall have the power to take the Millennium Items and this pathetic world._ And the dark presence faded into Bakura's gentle spirit, yet again.

The ride to the hospital was largely silent. Serenity hadn't spoken except for responding to the most basic of inquiries. Now, she sat between her brother and the young woman she thought of as a sister already. She was very pale, sensing the pain of the group and the sheer terror of a nine-year-old boy. "Serenity," Mai started to say, "hon…" And then she stopped, not sure what to say next. _It might not be okay_, she thought, sensing Mokuba's full-blown terror. _This could…this can't be happening..._ It hurt Mai to think that Lisa could die and that the baby would die before it had a chance to live.

And Yugi sat in a seat, looking pale and upset. But in Yugi's head, the teenage boy cried. "Yami," he moaned in the spirit's soul room, "why is this happening? Lisa's…"

"I know, Yugi," Yami said, aching himself for the Kaibas. "I have no answer to give you." He pulled the boy into a warm hug. "For whatever reason, Lisa is injured and Mokuba is clearly traumatized. All we can do is help the Kaibas."

"Yami… If Lisa dies… Seto… what will this do to him?!" Yugi moaned. "He'll pull in again. And we'll lose him." The small King of Games feared that if Lisa died, Seto would turn back into the angry young man he had been when they met and fought. "He can't go back to how he was!"

"I know, aibou… I know," the former Pharaoh murmured, keeping his spirit brother close to him. Back in reality, Teá was hugging Yugi, sensing what was going through his mind.

All too soon, the gang arrived at Domino Children's Hospital. Nurse O'Malley was waiting for them. "Mr. Kaiba, Lisa had to be taken into surgery. We couldn't wait," George explained.

"Where's my brother?" the teen CEO asked, voice indicating shock as the nurse led him and the rest of the group down the hallway to the elevator.

"We put him in a room away from the ER. He was hysterical when he and Lisa came in. There isn't a scratch on him physically, but mentally and emotionally is another story. He didn't see her actually get hit, but he saw the aftermath. She was in really bad shape when they brought her into the ER. There was a lot of blood, so he's very shaken up. Dr. Misawa is in the room with him," George answered as the elevator came to a stop. "And so is Officer Shinohara. He was the first officer on the scene."

"Shinohara," Seto murmured. The name was familiar, he mused as he walked down the hall where he heard very clear crying.

"Now, Mokuba, it's going to be all right," a lightly British-accented voice was saying. "This wasn't your fault, my boy."

"Yes, it was! She's gonna die, and it's my fault!" Mokuba shrieked, sobbing. "She'd be okay and the baby'd be okay if I wasn't here! Seto should hate me!"

"He shouldn't hate you," another voice said. Several heads in the team turned to look at Yugi.

"Guys, that wasn't me!" the small teen said, stunned. He too wondered how his voice ended up down the hall.

They headed down to the room and saw a police officer with short dark hair and kind gray eyes sitting in a chair and Hiro Misawa holding a trembling and crying Mokuba. "Mr. Kaiba, I'm Asuma Shinohara, and I'm with the Domino PD; have we met before?" he asked. Nurse O'Malley, meanwhile, headed back to the elevator, went down a floor to the emergency surgical level, and went to one surgical bay, scrubbed in, and prayed he could help save a friend.

Seto looked at the older man. "Shinohara… didn't you have a female partner a few years ago, named Izumi?" he asked, recognizing the face.

"Yes, I did, and I married her," the officer said. "How do you..?"

"I think you were the officer that came the day my dad…" Seto said, trailing off. Shinohara nodded, remembering. And then Seto moved over to his little brother. "Thanks, Hiro, for keeping him like this."

"I only wish I could do more," Hiro answered sadly, opening his arms and letting Seto take the small boy from him. "I'm sorry, but I have to go check on a patient. Please keep me updated."

"I will," the teen CEO answered, as Hiro got up from the chair he'd been sitting in. The ophthalmologist bade everyone goodbye and left. "Officer, are you staying here for a bit?"

"Yes," Shinohara answered. "I was waiting to take Mokuba's statement. He's pretty much been upset since I happened on the scene. We have other officers taking statements from people where this happened, and I don't know what to tell you yet. But your wife was badly hurt. From what I could tell, she had compound fractures and a head injury. I'm not sure if there was internal damage, but after the hit she took from that car…"

"It should've been me," Mokuba said suddenly, pain evident in his voice. "I should've been hurt. Now, Lisa might… and the baby…. And it's my fault, big brother!" he howled in agony.

"Mokuba," Seto asked, "how in the world is this your fault?"

"Because if I wasn't here, Lisa'd be okay and Mommy and Daddy would still be alive! And you'd never have gone to the orphanage and been so desperate to get out because of me, that Gozaburo never would've adopted us! _**Why don't you hate me for wrecking your life**_?!" Mokuba howled like a wounded animal.

Everyone in the room looked at the upset little boy, only able to imagine what had really gone through his mind as he'd seen Lisa injured. But now all who could sense Mokuba fully could sense his anguish and misplaced blame. And Seto knew what needed to be said now. "Mokuba, you didn't wreck my life. How many times do I have to tell you? You saved my life. If it wasn't for you and I'd been alone, I couldn't have handled it. You kept me going; you kept me alive, little brother," he said, choking up a little as he said it. "And you know how much we both love you. Lisa couldn't let you get hurt. She couldn't trade her life for yours. How did you get away?"

"I don't know. Officer Shinohara? Should I tell you now?"

"Of course, Mokuba. I need to take your statement about what happened," the officer said gently, not for the first time, wishing Noa was still his partner in situations like this when a little child was scared. "I know you're upset and you're scared," he continued soothingly, "but this will help us. Maybe we can find who hurt your sister-in-law and bring them to justice. So if you can tell me anything of what you remember, that would be great."

Mokuba nodded. "Okay, officer. You sound like Yugi."

"Yugi?" the officer asked, stunned.

Yugi grinned sheepishly and raised his hand. "That's me… We do sound alike, Officer Shinohara. I wonder why?"

"One of the world's great mysteries, I guess," Asuma answered, expression turning serious. "Okay, Mokuba, this is going to be hard, but you're being very brave." He took a digital recorder out from his pocket, checked it, and then Mokuba told the police officer what happened. "…So, you didn't sense anything from the car?"

"No," Mokuba answered sadly. "Then…I was on the other side of the street, like I said. Whatever Lisa did, it saved me; and now she and the baby might…" He hugged against Seto, burying his face in his brother's school jacket.

"Thank you, Mokuba. We're going to do what we can to help. Can I talk to your brother alone for a bit?" Mokuba looked up and nodded.

Tristan got up from where he was sitting and took the boy from Seto's arms. "He'll be right back," the hazel-eyed boy soothed. Mokuba, throat tight from crying, couldn't say a word.

Out in the hall, Officer Shinohara took a deep breath. "Mr. Kaiba, that car had no driver. There was a mannequin in the front seat, and there was no indication that anyone had been in that car. I hate to say this, but it looks as if someone tried to kill your wife and brother."

Seto's eyes widened and he asked the question that other people who have had loved ones nearly taken or taken from them ask. "Why?"

"I don't know, but I promise you, we are going to do our best to bring the perpetrator to justice," Shinohara said, his gray eyes flashing with determination. "You just worry about your family, and we will have our best people on this."

"Thank you, Officer. We'll keep the police department informed of everyone… I just…if she's lost the baby…" Seto couldn't complete the thought. Shinohara laid his hand on the teen CEO's shoulder, and then said good-bye. And Seto trudged back to the room where his friends and his little brother waited.

An hour went by and the group could just barely sense Lisa's life force. Seto held Mokuba tightly to him, sending reassurance as best he could. He had called Lisa's parents and brother, who were now quickly packing and getting ready to be taken to Boeing Field and flown to Domino in the Kaiba Corp Gulfstream. He had told them the severity of the situation, and they all knew there was a possibility that she could die before her family could make it to Domino.

Bakura, despite his lack of training, could sense the tension in the room. "I wish," he began, "I wish there was something I could do to help."

"All our powers, and we can't do anything," Joey groaned softly. "Seto, man, if we could find a way to…"

Seto groaned softly. "But we can't." It was tearing him apart. _Leese, please hang on,_ he thought/sent to her.

Another hour passed and the gang waited. And then Darla Truesdale came into the room. "Seto?" she asked.

"Darla? Is there anything?" he asked desperately. "Lisa? The baby?"

The bluenette doctor sat down next to the worried husband, hating what she had to tell him now. "Scout is still working on Lisa. She suffered compound fractures in her right arm and both lower legs. She suffered three broken ribs and also hit her head. It doesn't look as if there was brain damage, but she did suffer internal damage. We had to go in right away and start repairing the damage. She is getting a lot of blood replaced as well. Her heart stopped due to the blood loss, and we got it started again. But…" Darla took a deep, slightly shaky breath, knowing that this would really hurt. "Because of the blood loss, Lisa's body couldn't keep the pregnancy. She miscarried not too long after we started working on her. Honey, I'm so sorry," she said, putting an arm around him and his brother.

Seto couldn't bring himself to speak for a moment. He felt as if he had been stabbed with thousands of swords. The baby was dead, and if Lisa survived this, it could break her heart. _It's already breaking mine. _And then he sensed what was going through his little brother's mind. "M-Mokuba… M-Mokie, this wasn't your fault. And whoever sent th-that car would've killed you too…"

Mokuba managed to nod. "Y-yeah," he whispered, hugging his brother, tears coming down his face again.

Darla gave them a long moment to compose themselves. And then she asked, "Should I tell you the rest?" Seto nodded, so she continued, "Lisa will still be able to have children, if everything else goes right. And if you want to, you can see the baby."

"What?" Seto asked, stunned. "I don't understand."

Darla sighed, being as gentle as possible. "Seto, Lisa had what we medically call a complete abortion. What that means is that the baby, the amniotic sac, the placenta…everything is out. So if you want to see the baby, you can. And we can arrange for burial, if you want. We give parents that option here."

Seto managed a nod. "Okay…to both. Mokuba, you don't have to come with me."

Most of the group looked at the Kaiba brothers, wondering what Mokuba would decide. "I…I want to go, big brother. I, I want to see the baby," the little boy said slowly. And so the two Kaiba brothers headed out of the room with Darla, Mokuba gripping his brother's hand tightly. They headed down the hall to the elevator and then rode down to the hospital morgue.

"We brought the baby here until you could come down, Seto," Darla said gently as they stepped into the cool, sterile room with steel walls and rubber floors. "I know this is hard and it's okay to be upset."

Seto remembered the day his father had died and when he and Mokuba had had to identify his father's body, and later, the day he'd identified Gozaburo. For some reason, the old man's corpse had been taken to a part of the company labs where Seto hadn't been allowed to go. And then he'd been allowed to see the corpse. Had one not known the evil that Gozaburo had been capable of, that observer might've likened the corpse of the CEO to a mighty oak felled by a storm. But thirteen-year-old Seto had known that this particular oak had succumbed to disease long before the storm hit. But now, standing in the Domino Children's morgue about three years later, things were different.

Instead of a long metal table where bodies were usually put, there was a hospital bassinette lined with a pink blanket. Seto stepped up to the bassinette, curious and yet a little frightened. There was a white pad on top of the blanket and on top of that was something covered by an even smaller blanket. Darla gently moved the top blanket away to reveal a tiny creature. It was recognizable as a baby, though it was only about three-and-a-half inches long. There were fingers, toes and even a little face. Seto swallowed, looking at it. _This would've been our baby. Why couldn't it live and be okay?_ he asked God silently. "Is…is there any way to know what it was?" he asked Darla finally.

Darla couldn't keep the sadness from her eyes. "She would've been a very happy little girl," she answered tenderly. "Would you like to hold her, honey?" The once father-to-be nodded while the once uncle-to-be looked on. The OB/GYN got chairs and helped the brothers to sit down. She then wrapped the tiny girl in the small blanket so it was as if the baby had born alive and then brought her to her father.

Seto took the baby, cradling her in the palms of his hands. It was then that he began to really cry. He grieved for the tiny little girl that should've been safe in her mother's womb, and for the life she should have had. He mourned that Mokuba had one more childhood trauma to deal with, and he ached for Lisa, knowing that when she was awake and coherent, she would know that her baby was dead before she had even had a chance to really be born. When he got control of himself, Seto asked, "Mokie, do you..?"

"L-let me see her," the little boy said softly. "I just want to see her." And he beheld the face of his niece. Mokuba was quiet for a minute and Seto could sense a range of emotions from his brother. The boy had tears running down his cheeks, but he was smiling too. "She…she looks like you and Lisa."

"And you too, kid," Seto managed to say. "I want to name her… And I'm going to name her what Mom wanted to call you if you'd been a girl… Sakura Anela." He managed to smile through his own tears.

Darla, after a few moments, took the tiny corpse from her father and set her back in the bassinette. "We can do what you want with her. Do you want pictures with her?" The brothers nodded and the doctor took out a camera from her pocket. She took pictures of little Sakura with her father and uncle and then of Sakura by herself. Then Seto decided what would be done with the baby's body and called the Domino cemetery to bury her in a small plot near her Delaney grandparents. The doctor got the baby's body into a storage area and then went to prepare the pictures for the grieving family.

The brothers headed back to the room where their friends waited. It had taken about an hour to see the baby and grieve and take pictures. And when they returned, George O'Malley was waiting to update them. "They're still working. It's hard to say how much longer Scout will work on her. There's a lot of damage, but she's hopeful Lisa will pull through," he said.

"So… we just have to wait," Duke said. Everyone nodded, the worry evident in their faces.

"We can pray too, Duke," Serenity said calmly, crossing herself and beginning to pray. Everyone prayed or thought good thoughts. And as they did, Dr. Scout Rhodes continued to work to save her friend's life.

_This chapter is ending on a definite cliffhanger. Will Lisa survive? How will her family react to what happened? Well, you have to stay tuned to find out. But before we leave, I'd like to thank 15animefreak15 for suggesting the analogy of a great oak tree to refer to Gozaburo Kaiba's corpse. Next time, please join us for "Damage." Thank you and see you soon!_


	49. Damage

Chapter XLIII: Damage

_Hello again, fans of the Jedi League! I am very, very sorry it took this long to get a new chapter to you. As some of you may already know, my computer died on me and I had to get a new hard drive. And then I have unfortunately had a lot of things going on in my life and gotten sidetracked. But Jedi League is back! Thanks, everyone for reviewing and reading. I'm glad to know some of you are still following this universe despite my trouble with keeping it up._

_Disclaimer: __As usual, I don't own the Yu-Gi-Oh franchise and its related characters, and I sure as heck don't own anything related to Star Wars. There's a whole list of things that I don't own, including TV shows and movies. I do, however, own this tale and this version of the Yugi-verse. Also, as of September 6, 2013, I've made some minor changes to the story._

_The author would also like to gratefully acknowledge her co-author in her other Yugi-verse, 15animefreak15, and her other friends on this site, DarkwingFan, hermione494, WhiteAsukalover, Kazuma450, Immortal Fallen Angel and new friend, SophieLovesYou for giving their perspectives on what a hospital smells like. Thanks, guys!_

"This is a DMNO 4 special report." All over Domino, the various news stations were breaking into regularly scheduled programming. The woman in the DMNO anchor chair, Desiree Tisdale-Huffington, took a deep breath to compose herself as the cameraman gave the signals that she would shortly be on the air. She had been one of the few reporters in the world given access to the Kaiba family since Seto and Lisa had been married and truly loved the family she had gotten to know. And now, to know that Lisa was gravely injured and might not survive was like a stab to the reporter. The cameraman gave his signal and Desiree was on the air.

"Good afternoon, everyone. This is Desiree Tisdale-Huffington at the DMNO 4 newsroom where we have received word that Lisa Kaiba, wife of Seto Kaiba, is in emergency surgery at Domino Children's Hospital after being hit by a late model Toyota Camry. The car crashed into a wall after hitting Mrs. Kaiba, but no one else was physically hurt. With her was her nine-year-old brother-in-law, Mokuba, who was not hurt. The family, other than notifying us of Lisa's current status, has not made another statement. We have a news crew en route to the hospital and will give you more information as it develops."

The cameraman gave her the signal that she was now off the air and Desiree got up out of the anchor chair. She headed to her dressing room and looked at the picture of her husband, Corrigan and her four-year-old son, Chumley. _Mr. Kaiba must be going through hell right now,_ she thought. _Corrigan would be if it were me. And Mokuba must be out of his mind. He was right there. If Chumley had seen me get hurt like that… Oh, why do these things happen_? she thought, heart clenching. But like so many reporters, she knew she must hold together in front of the camera.

Y

As the hours wore on, Lisa Angela Kaiba's mother, father and brother arrived from Seattle. "Seto, how is she?" Darren Hammond asked as he put his arms around his son-in-law in a loving paternal hug.

"They're still working on her," the young man answered, face and voice indicating the great strain he was under. "They've had her in there for five hours. Darren, I'm sorry; I couldn't protect her or the baby."

The older man's own voice was none too steady. "Seto, you… you can't be everywhere at once… you can't prevent everything. She's a fighter, kiddo. Don't give up on her."

The young husband nodded softly, going back to sit down in his chair in the waiting area. Mokuba, meanwhile, got up from the chair he'd been sitting in and headed over to Gigi. She pulled him into her warm arms like she would have Eddie or Lisa when they'd been his age. "Angel, she'll pull through."

"It's my fault," he whispered.

"No, honey, no; whoever tried to hurt you two is responsible. Have you been told that?"

"Y-yeah… Seto said that and that nice policeman said it too. But I mean, she got hurt saving me, and…" Without a word, Gigi held the little boy a bit closer, trying her best to sooth him.

Eddie, at the same time, took his seat and was lost in his own thoughts. 'I couldn't protect her,' he thought. _What if she dies? It's just like…_ And in his mind's eye, the eldest Hammond child went back to a day where he'd been helpless to prevent another family member's death.

_It was June 6, 1995. Twelve-year-old Eddie stared, unseeing, at the blue water of Lake Washington. It was a beautiful day in late spring, and usually, the young man would've been thrilled to be riding in the car with his dad during school hours. But today, his heart was very heavy. He was abnormally quiet, and his father knew why._

_"Eddie?" Darren asked gently, "Bubba, are you okay?" The man knew the likely answer, but was in such shock, he asked the question anyway._

_Eddie didn't look at his father, instead staring out at the beautiful blue water of Lake Washington as they drove over the 520 Bridge. "Dad, why did Grandpa have to die? He was fine yesterday when he picked us up from school… And then…" Eddie looked at his father, eyes pained. He was recalling yesterday when his grandfather had taken him and Lisa out for an afternoon snack after the two kids had finished school. But on the drive back from the fast-food restaurant, 62-year-old Clifford Hammond had felt pain in his chest. Miraculously, he'd gotten the kids home safely and then collapsed in the living room. Eddie had called 911 while Lisa and her grandmother had tried to do what they could to help Clifford. The boy felt helpless as the paramedics arrived and his grandfather was taken from the house on a stretcher._

_Sadly, however, there was nothing little Lisa or anyone could do. Clifford Hammond had an aortic dissection, where the main artery to the heart developed a catastrophic tear. Because of the resulting internal blood loss, the Hammond patriarch had a stroke and died nearly a day after the episode that started it all. Darren had, even in his grief, how lucky he was to have his son and daughter alive and all right, for if his father had lost control of the car, it could've been fatal to all in the car. "Bubba, he got you kids safely home… A-and he had a good day yesterday before that. You kids were his greatest joy."_

_Darren and Eddie held themselves in control, unsure if Lisa had already sensed what had happened. They knew how mentally sensitive she was, and that there was the possibility she'd felt her grandfather die. Darren drove the old 1980 brown Mercedes-Benz to the University of Washington campus and arrived at Husky Stadium. Lisa was waiting in front of the west entrance to the stadium, near the Hec Ed Pavilion. She was smiling, eager to see her brother and dad, but then, the Hammond men saw the little girl's face change from happy to sad. When she came up to the car, she was crying, having sensed her dad and brother's thoughts and emotions, and the hole in the universe where her grandfather had been._

And now, almost nine years later, Eddie sat, praying his sister would be okay. _Please God, save my sister. She's got her life ahead of her… Help her, and guide the surgeons' hands…_ And all anyone could do was wait.

Y

_Three days earlier, Lisa Kaiba began the fight for her life…_ "_**Mokuba**_!" Lisa saw the blue car bearing down on her and Mokuba and felt the small boy's fear just before he raised his mental shields. She raised her own mental shields and put her hands on her brother-in-law to push him out of the way. But something happened that she could not have predicted. Just before the car hit, the little boy disappeared in a flash of light and appeared on the other side of the street. And then, Lisa felt herself flying through the air as her mind grew fuzzy. _I'm dead,_ she thought as she felt and yet did not feel her broken body hit the street. _The baby…_ And then everything went black.

She couldn't be sure of the passage of time, but Lisa felt things growing light, and in that misty light, she heard a sweet little child's voice. "Mommy…"

The young woman's blue eyes widened. "Are you my baby? Where are you?" she called.

And then a little girl with blue eyes and soft brown hair, clothed in a simple white dress with short sleeves, a long, puffy skirt and a white sash around the waist. She also wore white stockings and silky white slippers with embroidery and pearls on the toes. "Hi, Mommy. I'm Sakura. That's what Daddy named me. I'm here because I'm going back up to be with God."

"Sakura…" The now-heartbroken mother-would-have-been hugged her first child close. "I love you so much. And Daddy and Uncle Mokie. Oh, sweetheart. Will I ever see you again?"

Little Sakura smiled an angelic smile. "You won't see me for a long time, but I'll see you, Mommy. I'll be one of your angels. Don't stay sad, Mommy. I'm all right now, and I know how much you all love me." She released from her mother's arms and began to fade away.

"_**Sakura**_!" Lisa cried out as she watched her baby disappear. And then everything faded. "What's happening?!" she screamed into the darkness. And then she knew nothing more for some time.

Y

Lisa came back to herself, feeling like she was drifting on calm water. But she couldn't see where she was. And then her Jedi senses started to work. She could again feel the emotions and thoughts of those she loved. _She's got to be okay… She survived the surgery… We can't lose her now!_ She felt sadness, hope, anger, fear and cautious optimism from all of them. She couldn't have told how much time had passed; she only knew that it felt like an eternity. And then, she heard a familiar voice and felt a hand holding hers. "Babe, please come back to me. We need you… I need you… Please, Leese."

The floating sensation ceased and she felt herself lying on a firm mattress, tilted up a bit. _I'm in the hospital,_ she realized as she tried to send a reassuring thought to her husband. _Honey, I'm here,_ she managed to send weakly. The hand holding her uninjured left hand squeezed.

_Babe, I'm right here_, Seto sent. _Try opening your eyes, Leese._ Her eyelids were so heavy; it took a few tries to open them. And when she did, it took a moment for her to focus on the young man above her. "Babe," he murmured, "you're awake. Thank God you're awake. You've been unconscious for three days. We thought… we all thought you might…" Above her, she could see he was trying unsuccessfully to hold back tears. Her throat was dry and what came out of her throat was a strangled groan. He got her a squeeze bottle of water and helped her sip. "There you are."

"S-seto… honey, is Mokuba all right?" she asked as soon as she could talk.

"Yeah, I don't know what you did, but he didn't have a scratch on him. But we almost lost you," the worried husband murmured. When Seto had first seen his wife, she had been so heavily bandaged and bruised that he'd broken down on the spot. He'd known she would survive at that point, but still, it was painful to see her that way. And now he wondered how to tell her the truth about the baby.

But he didn't have to say a word. She started crying. "The baby's gone. I couldn't…"

He positioned himself so he could put an arm around her in comfort. "I know… Lisa… I have pictures of her. I got to hold her." As gently as he could, Seto told her of what had happened a few days earlier as she fought for her life. "She was so beautiful," he concluded gently.

"You buried her next to your mom and dad?" she asked for confirmation with a sad smile.

"Yeah… Leese…" Seto found himself unable to speak as he felt her still-broken body against him. "I should've been able to protect you… Our baby," he managed when he found himself able to speak again.

"Seto… don't. This wasn't your fault; how did it happen?"

"Somebody tried to kill you and Mokie. They have the car, but there were no prints and the car was reported stolen. The owner even took a polygraph and the gang scanned her. She had no idea of what happened to her car and was horrified that it was stolen for someone to use to kill someone else. The police don't have any leads. I wish I did." Anger boiled up in him that he hadn't been able to protect his family. "But doing what I've thought of doing… you need me with you, not on some quest for vengeance."

"No, don't go off looking for whoever this was," she murmured weakly. "I don't want you getting hurt. Seto, it won't help me. It won't help Mokuba. It won't bring Sakura back. Don't go. Just let the police do their job and we may find out some day. Please, honey; I need you here."

"Shhh, I won't go, I promise." He kept her safe in his arms for a long moment. "Do you want your parents and brother in here?" She nodded. "Okay… Darren, Gigi, Eddie?" he called to his in-laws.

And so, the Hammonds came slowly into the small room, relieved and worried at the same time. Gigi moved straight to the other side of her daughter's bed. "Hi, angel… Oh, sweetheart…" The brown-haired, brown-eyed small woman couldn't help but cry a little, both in sadness and in happiness. She was sad and worried because her daughter was in pain and had lost a child before it had a chance to live, but was happy that Lisa's life had been spared. "How…?" The question she wanted to ask died on her lips. _Of course, she's not all right! She's wanted to be a mother… and that's been taken. _

Darren took the opportunity to step forward as well and take Lisa's now-casted right hand. "Peacher, we'll all get through this. You kids aren't alone." He too, like so many fathers, ached that he couldn't protect his baby from this sort of pain. And now he would do what he could to help his daughter, sons-in-law and the rest of his family, including himself, to alleviate the pain. "Do you know how Mokuba ended up without a scratch on him?"

"I don't know…what I did. The car was coming too fast. I pushed him out of the way, but it wasn't going to be enough."

"Leese, he was safe on the other side of the street," Eddie explained softly, making sure she could see him. "Did you do something?"

She tried to think, remembering. "I'm… not sure… I just wanted him to be safe. I pushed him… He disappeared and reappeared and then… the car must've hit… I don't know what I did. It must've been some sort of teleportation… Seto, did he see..?" she implored her husband.

"Lisa… he turned back after you went down. He saw you in the street. You… he thought for a minute that you were dead. You were…bleeding pretty bad."

"S-Seto… bring him in… please," she requested, clearly spent but wanting to reassure her brother-in-law that she was alive.

The young man looked at his in-laws and then stepped out of the room to get his brother. Mokuba was sitting on a chair in the ICU waiting area with the rest of the gang. "Moks… you can feel it, can't you?" Joey was asking. "She's come out of it."

"Yeah… but she's sad." The little boy was wrapped in that part of his sister-in-law's emotions that were dark and painful.

"Mokuba… hon, read her other emotions, too," Mai suggested, reading what the boy seemed to be ignoring. "She's happy you're okay."

Mokuba's blue-gray eyes were full of tears, feeling the sadness more than the joy. "B-but…"

"Mokie," Seto said, standing in the doorway of the room, "she is happy you're okay. She's awake, but she's really weak. But she won't go to sleep, I think, until she sees you with her own eyes. Hear from her yourself." Without a word, the youngest Kaiba moved to his brother and held up his arms. The elder Kaiba brother understood and picked up the nine-year-old, carrying him to the ICU. "You won't be in very long, kid," Seto explained. "She's probably going to fall back to sleep."

"Okay, Seto," Mokuba answered, smelling the familiar smell of hospital rooms. It was a clean scent, but oddly a somewhat dead one. Where other rooms in the hospital might have the smell of strong illness and dying flowers, this area smelled very sterile. Perhaps it was also the oxygen that was pumped to the patients as well that contributed to the blandness, but whatever it was, the intensive care unit seemed neither a harbinger of life or death to the small boy. It seemed to him to be a halfway house. And now he was at the door of his sister-in-law's room.

Darren, Gigi and Eddie were positioned around the bed and moved to make room as Seto came in, carrying the little boy. "Hey, guys," Mokuba greeted softly.

"M-Mokuba," Lisa managed, lifting her head. Three days earlier when he'd seen her, she'd been unconscious with a breath mask over her bruised lips. Her head had been heavily bandaged, as the rest of her had been. Now, she merely had a nasal cannula, a two-prong oxygen tube, going into her nose. She also had casts on her arm and legs, and her face wasn't so bruised. "Hi, sweetheart."

Seto sat Mokuba down on the left side of the bed so the little boy wouldn't accidentally hurt her still-tender right side. The boy couldn't hold back his tears. "B-big sister… you're awake."

Lisa was pleased the bed had been raised so she could now be in a sitting position. She used her good arm to hug Mokuba, and then managed to put her other arm around him. "Shhh… sweetheart, it's going to be all right… I'm going to be okay. Don't be upset with yourself." He was crying softly against her, and so she decided to sing softly to him. She rocked him as much as her body would let her as she sang, and then her strength gave out and she began to fall asleep.

Seto picked his brother up when Lisa's arms began to relax. "It's okay, kid. She's really tired, but she'll be okay."

Mokuba considered that, watching his big sister drift into sleep. "Can I stay in here too for a bit?"

"Sure, kid." The young husband sat down with his brother and watched as Lisa slept.

The Hammonds took the opportunity to step out of the room and headed out to the waiting room. "She's sleeping again, guys," Darren said apologetically. "The meds will make her really groggy for a while."

"It's all right; we'll see her tomorrow. The important thing is she's alive," Joey stated softly, "and we're all gonna do what we've got to to help keep her that way. Whoever it was might try to hurt her again."

"Joey, you're right," Yugi quietly exclaimed. "We can't leave her unguarded; any of them. Whoever it was went after Mokuba too and maybe they'll go after Seto next."

"Then little brother, we have to do something, too," Mai agreed, her eyes flashing in worry. "Darren, Gigi, Eddie, Lisa helped us get ourselves together and now she's the one in trouble. We're going to help her and protect her… And we'll help her get better."

"Thank you… all of you kids," Gigi said, tears in her big brown eyes. Lisa's family gladly hugged her friends, and they hugged back. Everyone knew it would be a long road for the young woman to recover, but at least she was alive and awake.

Y

As visiting hours drew to a close and Lisa's family prepared to head to the mansion, Joey Wheeler took a deep breath as he walked into Lisa's room. "Hey, Seto?"

The blue-eyed young man looked up from his seat where he still held his brother and held his wife's hand. "Hi, Joey. What's up?" he whispered back.

The other young man shifted slightly and sat down in another chair. "Is Roland stayin' on tonight?"

Seto nodded. "He's staying here and Mokuba is going home with the Hammonds and Bryce. We have security around the hospital and at the mansion in case whoever this is makes another move."

Joey nodded and shifted again in his seat. "I'd like to stay on and help keep an eye on things. If it wasn't for Leese, I wouldn't be here, and I'm gonna help pay her back."

"Joey, you don't have to…"

"Man, I want to. Please, Seto, let me stand guard," the blonde boy asked again, meeting the blue eyes with his brown ones. The teen CEO held Joey's gaze for a minute, then nodded again. And so Joey Wheeler stood guard over the Kaibas.

Y

Fortunately for the Jedi group, there was no need for precautions. Alister had left Domino as soon as the car had hit Lisa. _She's dead,_ he thought as he ran from the abandoned garage. He hopped on his red Kawasaki Ninja motorcycle and rode away. _I did it… the kid didn't get hurt… but that bXXXXXX's wife is dead. I've won,_ he thought as he pulled onto Interstate 5, the cool wind whipping past his face.

He drove for about five hours along the highway and then pulled into the city of San Francisco. He drove to a stunning white office building in the business district, pulling into the garage. When he arrived in one of the upper floors, he was greeted by a young man with spiky brown hair and blue eyes, wearing a red shirt and black padding along with a pair of biker goggles on his head. "Alister, where have you been?" Valon Kidman asked. "Master Dartz wondered what the 'ell you were doing!" Valon's eyes were wide with apprehension. "You bloody idiot! You could've been caught by the frakkin' cops!"

"Stay out of my business, Valon! Besides, I took care of what I needed to. Kaiba's wife is dead," Alister smirked.

"Don't be so sure of that, Alister," remarked a gravelly voice. Out from a corridor stepped a large blonde-haired man with blue eyes. He was very muscular, wearing a dark khaki shirt and a necklace with a pendant around his neck. "The girl survived the hit. We've been watching the news. She's still in surgery, but they still aren't sure if she'll survive," Rafael Marchand finished, folding his massive arms over his barrel chest.

Alister scowled. "How did she survive? That should've been fatal!"

"Oh, come on, mate! A gun would've been fatal if you'd landed a shot in the right place, and more accurate," Valon taunted.

"Yeah, but the cops would've traced the gun, dingus!"

"Will you two shut up?!" Rafael snapped. Valon and Alister had been dangerously close to blows, and the blonde wasn't about to take it. "Master Dartz wants to speak with you, Alister. Now!"

The two would-be fighters looked at each other, and Valon's expression changed to one of sympathy. He didn't envy Alister facing the boss, because the boss could be very frightening when provoked. Alister caught the expression and managed a slight smile as he and Rafael headed to Dartz's sanctum. "Is he mad?" Alister dared to ask.

Rafael sighed. "He's annoyed with you, but he wants to hear why."

The two young men walked through the spacious modern conference room to what looked like an antique gilded mirror and stepped through it into the sanctuary of an ancient stone palace. The gargantuan room was lit by fiery torches held in what looked like snakes. At the end of the room was a large stone staircase with a platform, and on that platform were statues of three snakes with open mouths. And on the wall from where they hung had many carvings, including what looked like a pair of human eyes. The pupils of the eye carvings, however, served as fireplaces. The lighting served to give the room a menacing look, and it also gave the man standing on the top of the platform a dark look, despite his being covered head to foot in a white and blue garment.

The man on the platform, in addition to being clad in a white and blue old-fashioned pantsuit, wore a flowing dark cape. He also had hair of a strange bluish color, and as he turned to face the two young men, they caught a glimpse of his eyes. The right eye was a brilliant green, while the left was a golden color like that of a jungle cat. "So you've returned, Alister," he said in a tenor voice that sounded strangely accented. One might assume it was a European accent, but it was from a civilization long since disappeared. "Your attempt was unsuccessful. Why did you rush?"

"I can't stand seeing Seto Kaiba happy with that girl," Alister admitted, his gray eyes flashing with a combination of rage and sadness. "He's guilty; everyone with the Kaiba name is guilty! They have to pay for that."

"And they will, Alister, but we must wait until the proper time to wage our war. And for now, the security around the Kaiba family will be very tight. You must not go after Seto Kaiba or his family again until the time is right." Dartz stepped down from his platform and placed a hand on the young man's shoulder. "You will have vengeance on him, for the sins of the father will be visited upon his son, as is proper. All will soon know the power of the Orichalcos and be purified by its light."

Alister couldn't hide a sigh of relief that Master Dartz hadn't been as angry as he thought the man would be. "Yes, Master Dartz. I'm sorry I ran off like I did."

"It is all right; go in peace and rest," Dartz answered, releasing his grip.

The redhead and blonde left the temple and headed to their quarters in the modern building. "You were lucky," Rafael chided. "He could've been very angry with you."

"I know. But I at least didn't mess up the plan. I guess we wait for this pharaoh to surface and whatever else Dartz is waiting for."

"So he didn't go all ape on you?" Valon greeted when the other two young men arrived in their suite.

"No, and you don't sound that thrilled that I escaped harm," Alister observed.

"Well, I was lookin' forward to knockin' down a wall and havin' myself a bigger room or maybe a bigger bathroom with a new dunny," Valon smirked, using the Australian slang term for a toilet.

"Shut up!" the redhead shouted, as Rafael resigned himself to breaking up another fight.

Y

Life around Domino City slowly returned to normal. After a few days, the police had collected all the evidence they could from the now badly damage Toyota Camry, the dummy in the car, and the abandoned garage they eventually found. They had found hairs in the car, but no fingerprints, and the same was true of the garage. The authorities ran the DNA they collected from the hair strands, but it didn't match up against any DNA database in the country or in Interpol's databanks. It seemed unlikely that the person who'd attempted to kill Lisa and Mokuba and killed the unborn baby Sakura would be brought to justice any time soon.

About five days after being brought into Domino Children's Hospital, Lisa was placed into a private room. She was visited every day by members of the gang after her family had to go home to Seattle. "Hello, Lisa," Bakura greeted one Wednesday afternoon four weeks after the injury. He was carrying a bouquet of sterling silver roses in a nice vase and set them on a table where she could see them. "How are you feeling today?" he asked, looking at the fine down that now graced her initially shaven head. It seemed to him that her hair had lightened quite a bit since the injury, but she hadn't seemed to care.

Lisa gave her visitor a smile, even though she didn't feel it in her heart. "A bit better today, Bakura, thank you. So you got out of school for community service today, huh?"

"Yes, I did. It was wonderful of Mr. Darby to allow us to come visit you during school hours," the British boy smiled, deciding not to press what he sensed on some level from her. "I brought some of my work to do if you should fall asleep, but if you don't, perhaps we can watch a movie, TV or play a game. What would make you happy?"

_To have my baby back,_ she thought, shielding her mind so no one in the gang could hear. But instead she said out loud, 'Why don't we watch a movie today?"

Bakura went to the collection of DVDs that Seto had brought for his wife to enjoy when he wasn't with her. "Hmmm, are you in the mood for comedy, drama, anime? I'm up for anything, Lisa."

She thought quickly. "I think I'd like to watch _Batman Forever._ I think I'm in a superhero sort of mood and that movie has Jim Carrey as one of the villains. He always makes me laugh."

"I saw it once on a Batman movie marathon. It even showed the Batman movie from the 1960s. Dad and I had just moved back to the States and our bodies weren't used to the time change, so he and I watched all the movies. I really liked _Batman Forever_, but I didn't really like _Batman and Robin_. They shouldn't have cast Arnold Schwarzenegger as Mr. Freeze."

"No," Lisa sighed, laughing a bit as Bakura got the DVD in the player. "They couldn't get Patrick Stewart so they should've gotten… hmm. I could see Alan Rickman doing it. He'd have had to shave, though." And so they settled in to watch the movie. About an hour into it, a nurse came to give the young Jedi woman her pain medication. About five minutes after that, she fell asleep.

Bakura looked over at her and decided to watch the rest of the movie himself. And as he did, he drifted away. A dark presence took him over, and in his place sat the being known as Dark Bakura. He smirked down at the sleeping young Jedi woman. "Foolish mortal," he murmured. "I could snap your neck right here… but I don't dare. The mortals in control of this day would look unkindly upon you dying, even though you'd probably welcome it… Sleep now, little mortal… and perhaps someday, you'll know the embrace of death at my hand…"

Lisa's mind and powers were dulled by the medication. Nevertheless, her eyes opened slowly, having sensed something shadowy. "Bakura?" she asked weakly. "Is everything all right? I thought I felt something…"

The dark spirit in control of the gentle-hearted boy drew on what he knew, softening his voice to his host's way of speaking. "It's all right, Lisa, everything's okay. Just go back to sleep… you need the rest. There's a good girl," he said as she drifted off again. And then the spirit smirked. _She didn't suspect… but to be safe…_ He withdrew into the deepest part of his host's mind.

Bakura Ryou became aware of himself again as the movie reached a particularly funny scene. _Hmm… must've dozed off…_ He couldn't suppress a laugh at a young Chris O'Donnell crashing through a secret door into the Batcave and then stealing the Batmobile. _Have to admit, I'd love to take the Batmobile for a joy ride,_ he thought.

Y

Six weeks after Lisa entered Domino Children's Hospital as a patient, she left it. "Leese, we've got the bed all fixed for you and we have a schedule so someone besides the servants are with you. Tzipporah, Marie, Roland and Bryce can't do it all, and I wouldn't ask that of them," Seto stated as he pushed his wife's wheelchair out to the limo. The gang had elected to be at the mansion when Lisa got home, rather than be at the hospital. Her hair was short and now decidedly a bluish-white blonde. The shock of the injuries and the loss of little Sakura had seemingly changed her hair color, though the doctors wondered if it was only temporary. Either way, Seto thought she looked adorable.

Mokuba walked alongside the wheelchair, smiling a little. "Big sister, we made a good dinner for you. I know you're tired of the hospital food, so we talked to your mom and got the recipes for your favorite dinners! And we're planning something for your birthday on Sunday!" Sunday, February 22, was Lisa's sixteenth birthday and the two men she loved wanted to make it special. She could sense how much they loved her and knew they wanted to make her feel happy again. Seto carefully lifted her out of the wheelchair and into the limo. Roland and Bryce stepped in after the family and they were off.

"Thank you, Mokie," Lisa murmured as the small boy cuddled between her and Seto. "I'm so glad, honey." She'd had her mental shields up enough to mask her thoughts and feelings, but the shields slipped slightly to allow the young males to feel the sadness and pain she was feeling.

The young man and boy managed to share a glance without Lisa seeing it and shielded their minds so she couldn't hear them in her head. _Big brother, is she okay?_

_She's sad, little brother. It may be a while before she's back to herself. We're all hurting, _Seto explained gently. _We just have to ride out the pain with her. It's okay for all of us to hurt and grieve. _

The little boy nodded, understanding. But in the back of his mind where his brother couldn't look, Mokuba was haunted by nightmares he'd had. Perhaps it was just the pain and trauma of what he'd seen. Or maybe it was a vision of the future; he didn't know, but it haunted him even when he talked with Dr. Miyazaki, the family counselor.

_Mokuba ran through the mansion to his brother and sister-in-law's bedroom, extremely afraid. He'd felt very dark emotions from Lisa and then her mental shields had raised. "Big sister! Where are you?!" he shouted. He charged into the walk-in closet and to the bathroom. And then he saw a horrible sight. Lisa was lying on the floor in a pool of her own blood, dead. All the little boy could tell was that she was dead and then… He woke up._

The limo arrived at the Kaiba mansion about 6:30 in the evening and the gang was waiting inside the house. Seto carried Lisa in, flanked by Mokuba, Roland and Bryce. Of the group of friends, Yugi stepped forward first when Seto had placed his wife in a comfortable chair in the media room. "We're glad you're home safe, Lisa," he said softly, moving to hug her. The other teens did the same, hugging, reassuring and sending their positive emotions to help her. They ate dinner and then Seto took Lisa up to bed as she had taken pain medication that caused her to fall asleep.

When Seto returned to the media room, he sighed. "Guys, we can't leave Leese alone for a while. Dr. Miyazaki is worried that she might try to hurt herself. She's been hurt more than she wants to admit and it may do something to her. I think we need to continue the arrangement of rotating around so she's not alone."

"Seto, of course we'll do that," Mai answered with a look at the rest of the group. "She's our friend." They refined their existing rotation and called Mr. Darby who in turn contacted their teachers. Tomorrow, Teá would be helping her friend.

"So what do we all have to do, Seto?" the brunette girl asked as the gang headed upstairs to the master bedroom.

"It's pretty simple. You keep her company and help her eat and get dressed if she needs it. Guys, you won't have to do that," he explained as the guys all blushed a bit. "I'll have the maids help when Lisa needs to get dressed and it's your day to be here. But Teá, Mai, Serenity, if you wouldn't mind helping, that'd be great. You might cheer her up a little. For everybody, whatever you do, try to get her to talk if you can. Don't force it, but just see if she'll open up." Everyone nodded agreement, and headed for home.

Y

The next morning, Teá woke up and pulled on a pair of blue jeans and a pink sweater, along with white socks and a pair of boots. Though it wasn't snowy in the city, it was cold, so she dressed for the weather. She took her favorite old jean jacket and headed out to the limo that waited for her. "Oh, good morning, Darlene!" she greeted the limo driver, a woman with fiery red hair and dark brown eyes. "How are you today?"

"Oh, fine, Teá; how about you?" Darlene responded.

"Oh, fine. I'm looking forward to helping Lisa today. Any idea about how she's doing?"

Darlene sighed. "She was sleeping when Seto and Mokuba left for school, but she had a nightmare early this morning. They got her back to sleep, and that was it. She kept crying about her baby being alone and needing her. It took her a bit to calm down and go to sleep. Hopefully, she'll feel better today."

"Yeah. I've got some things we can do together. I'll try to make her laugh, too." Little did Teá know that she was in for a rough day.

When she arrived at the house, Tzipporah the maid escorted her upstairs. "She woke up a few minutes ago. She seemed a bit happy and went to the bathroom. One of the other maids, Silvia is in the room…"

As they walked to the master bedroom, they heard a shriek. "Mrs. Kaiba! What are you doing?!" Teá's eyes widened in horror as she felt the wave of heartbreak from Lisa and she broke into a run. "Mrs. Kaiba, please put it down!" the maid with the silver-blonde hair shouted in the huge bathroom.

Teá raced into the room, Tzipporah hot on her heels. "Lisa?!" the brown-haired girl called out. The now-blue-white-blonde woman stood shakily at the bathroom counter, holding something that glinted in the morning sunlight against her now-thin left wrist. "_**Lisa**_! Put it down!"

_Yeah… cliffhanger! What is Lisa holding and will Teá manage to stop her? What chance does she have? Well, you'll just have to stay tuned! Next time, we'll see what happens in "Unexpected Strength." Thank you and please read and review! _


	50. Unexpected Strength

Chapter XLIV: Unexpected Strength

_Hello again, fans of the Jedi duelists! Welcome back! Okay, so it's been a while since we last met. I thank all of you, my faithful reviewers and readers, for staying with this tale through the delays and the length of time it takes to update this._

_**Disclaimer: I don't own the Yu-Gi-Oh franchise. If I did, things would be different.**_

_** Author's notes, some time later:**__I made some minor tweaks to this chapter._

"Lisa?! _**Lisa! Put it down**_!" Teá Gardner yelled as her friend, the young doctor and wife of Seto Kaiba held something against her very thin wrist.

Lisa Kaiba looked up at her friend, a vacant expression in the bright blue eyes. "I… I have to free them," she murmured, thinking of her husband and brother-in-law, dealing with her. She was deep in depression, and could only think that everyone would be better off without her. The maids, Silvia and Tzipporah, knew that they were no match for the Jedi's abilities if she used them. If she was going to harm herself, they were powerless to stop her.

Teá, however, had Jedi abilities. _I'm not as advanced, but I can do something!_ In her head, she pictured her hands clamping around Lisa's wrists, forcing them apart. And in the real world, Lisa felt the grip and try as she might, she couldn't fight the other girl's telekinetic talent. "I'm not… going to let you," the brown-haired dancer gritted, concentrating on making her friend drop whatever it was she was holding. She used her telekinetic grip to press on Lisa's right wrist. Since the arm had been broken a few weeks before, Lisa's grip on the thing was easily broken. Whatever she'd been holding fell to the floor with a metallic tinkle.

Lisa sank to her knees, trembling visibly as Silvia ran forward and grabbed the instrument. "Why, Teá? Why couldn't you just let me?" she moaned. She might've fallen right to the floor but Teá's grip somehow kept her from falling. The brown-haired girl moved forward and held the blue-white-blonde tightly in her arms, feeling her shoulder get wet with Lisa's tears. "They'd… they'd have been…"

"They wouldn't have been better off. You know what would happen to Seto if you ended it here," Teá murmured as her friend cried. She could feel the raw pain from the other young woman radiating and now some shame intermixed with it. "Lisa, Seto and Mokuba love you and need you. We all love you and need you here. Why don't we get you back to bed?"

Lisa shivered a little. "C-could you help me? I… sort of need to go to the bathroom."

"Okay." The brunette helped her friend to the toilet and then back to bed. "Lisa, just relax," she murmured, sending a sense of calm into her friend's body and mind. It wasn't as strong as Lisa's Jedi Knockout, but it was enough to send the girl into a restful sleep. She took a deep breath as the blue-white-blonde's breathing became soft, slow and regular, and reached out to the rest of the team.

YGOYGOYGOYGOYGO

At Domino High School, as Teá found Lisa trying to end her life, Seto and Mokuba Kaiba, along with the rest of the gang, had headed to their homeroom class.

_I wonder how Lisa and Teá will do, _Mokuba sent to his big brother as they sat in their seats.

_I don't know, kid, but with any luck, Teá will help Lisa have a little fun today,_ Seto sent back. _Leese needs something._ And he trailed off, eyes going wide with horror. The rest of the group sensed it. Something was horribly wrong and Teá wasn't backing down. Within a couple of minutes, though, they sensed Lisa calming down and finally falling asleep. And as the teacher came in and began his lecture, Seto concentrated and sent, _Teá, what happened? Is Lisa all right?_

In the mansion, Teá sat at Lisa's side and sensed Seto's worried call. _I was just about to send to you guys. She's all right now and she's sleeping, but she was trying to hurt herself, Seto. I got here to the house, and I felt heartbreak and then… her shields raised. And then Silvia was screaming for her to put something down. Somehow, she got hold of a scalpel. I managed to hold her wrists. I'm not sure how I did it, but I got her arms apart so she couldn't cut herself. She asked why I stopped her… Seto, she feels like she's a burden. I don't know why… but she's sleeping now._

_ Thanks, Teá… I'm going to come home when I can… You went above and beyond… Thank you for saving her,_ Seto sent back, truly grateful.

_No problem,_ she sent back, smiling a bit. Lisa turned over in her sleep, expression peaceful. _Lisa, please don't give up,_ she thought/sent.

Y

Seto and Mokuba left school after second period after explaining the situation to the school nurse and Mr. Darby. "We'll get class notes for you," Joey promised as he walked out the school doors with the Kaiba brothers. "Just tell us how she's doing. And let us know if we can do something."

Seto laid his hand on Joey's shoulder, not able to say a word. Mokuba, meanwhile, hugged the blonde in gratitude. When they released, the tall brunette was able to speak again. "We'll let you know as soon as we can, Joey. Thanks." Joey said good-bye and the two brothers headed out to the waiting limo.

As the limo drove toward home, Seto held his brother close. Mokuba had raised his mental shields and didn't seem to want to talk, so the older boy broke the silence. "It's not your fault. Lisa's just hurting right now and whatever it is."

"Seto," the smaller boy asked finally, "she's upset because she lost the baby and it's done something to her, hasn't it? That's what Dr. Miyazaki meant, right?" The psychiatrist, Hoshi Miyazaki, had warned Seto and Mokuba that Lisa was either deep in grief or in depression. The doctor had also said that Lisa wasn't bad enough to require hospitalization but she might need supervision.

"Yeah," the elder answered gently, keeping the younger close. "Mokie… that's exactly what she meant. And the bottom line is it's not quite the worst case scenario. Teá was there and Lisa didn't really fight her. But it's going to be rough, kiddo. Leese… might try again. Remember what else Dr. Miyazaki said?" Seto knew he had to tell his brother everything about what they were facing, because hiding things from the little boy wasn't an option.

Mokuba thought carefully. "She said that when Lisa started feeling better, Lisa might try to hurt herself because she felt good enough to try something. And it has nothing to do with us not helping her; it's that she's just really messed up right now and doesn't see any other way to make the pain stop."

"Yeah, that's exactly right, kiddo… And we have to thank Teá for doing whatever she did to stop Lisa. Whatever she did, she used something we haven't had to use before."

"I hope we don't have to use it," Mokuba sighed as the car pulled up to the house. "I just want Lisa to be okay."

Seto suddenly felt himself choke up at that. Mokuba had spent his life wishing that someone would be okay. At three years old, he had hoped his father would be happy and maybe play with him. And when Mokuba was five, he had wished that Gozaburo might realize how bad he was being and become a real father to him and Seto. Both of those wishes hadn't come true. But then one wish had. Thanks to Lisa, Mokuba had gotten the brother he loved back and also gained a sister who loved him as a little brother and maybe as her own child on some level. _Please,_ he entreated the Almighty, _please let her be okay, for all our sakes. Please._ He swallowed as the limo came to a stop. "Mokie, I want that too, and we're going to keep her together somehow."

They climbed out of the limo and raced up the grand staircase to Seto and Lisa's bedroom. Teá met them at the bedroom door, her eyes weary and her hair a little bit mussed, but she was calm. "She's sleeping. I don't know what I did, exactly, but after she got in bed, I told her she needed to calm down and I was concentrating on sending that feeling to her."

As Seto walked into the room and sat down at his wife's bedside, he met Teá's eyes. "Thank you again. You saved her, whatever you did. You've kept her alive and…" He swallowed hard, unable to say more for a long moment as the lump in his throat tightened. If Lisa had succeeded… he didn't want to think about it. Her soft little body lying on the bathroom floor in a pool of her own blood… _Stop it, _he commanded his mind. _This won't help her!_ He knew he must think soothing thoughts as her mental shields were down. And so he collected his thoughts and met Teá's eyes again. "You kept her from hurting herself and she'll survive." He might've said more, but the brunette girl smiled.

"Seto, she's my friend and there is no way I'm going to let her do this to herself. I'll help her get better. Are you going to stay here the rest of the day?" she asked.

"Yeah, you can stay if you want to," he offered as Mokuba climbed onto the big bed, careful not to disturb his sister-in-law. "You don't have to go back to school."

Teá considered that for a minute and then looked at her bag of school books and ballet practice things. "Okay, is there a place I could practice my ballet a little?"

"Tzipporah," he called to the raven-haired maid who had been quietly waiting in the room, "could you take Teá to the gym room? She can practice as much as she'd like there."

"Yes, sir," the maid answered as the blue-eyed teen girl got up to follow her. "This way, Teá."

After Teá left with Tzipporah, Seto reached and took his wife's limp hand as his brother sat on the big bed, brushing her hair a little with his hand. It struck the young husband at that moment how much Lisa looked like the young woman, Kisara who had appeared in his dreams. Her hair was now the blue-white blonde due to the trauma she'd suffered and she had lost a lot of weight as well, which made the resemblance even stronger. "Babe, we're right here," he murmured verbally.

"Big sister, it's going to be okay," Mokuba added softly, still brushing at her hair like a kitten.

And then Lisa finally began to stir. The two young men stayed close to her, sending warm thoughts of reassurance as she awakened. She felt their hands clasped around hers and could hear their thoughts of love and peace. Her eyes fluttered open, and she was able to feel what it was like to be on the receiving end of Jedi Calm. Her body felt incredibly relaxed and her mind felt peaceful. She felt released from worry, and the reassuring presence of her husband and brother-in-law bolstered that feeling. "Guys?" she murmured, looking up at them.

"Hey, Lisa," Seto managed to say, "welcome back." He might have said more, but again his words failed him.

Mokuba, however, had no words to say. What he wanted the most was a strong hug from his sister-in-law. She found the strength to sit up and embraced him as strongly as she could. "Sweetie, I'm so sorry," she murmured, hating herself for having tried what she had. "I just," she began and then trailed off, unsure of what to say.

As Lisa held her little brother-in-law, she felt the physical warmth of another pair of arms. "You were hurting," Seto soothed. "And your body is still off from the meds and your hormones. We're going to get through this somehow until you're feeling better. Don't blame yourself."

The young woman lay in her husband and brother-in-law's embrace and finally relaxed again. "I'll…try," she murmured, eyes closing again. "Forgive me."

"Shh… Just sleep now," Seto murmured, laying her down.

Y

Meanwhile, Teá Gardner followed Tzipporah down to what Seto had called the gym room. She wasn't sure what she expected, but it obviously wasn't what she saw. When the maid guided her into the room, the brunette blue-eyed young lady looked around in total awe. The room was huge, the walls painted white. On the side of the room opposite the young dancer were windows looking out over the huge mansion's grounds, now looking rather frosty as a cold front was moving in. The floor in the room was also stunning to Teá, as it appeared to be a highly polished wood floor and perfect for her ballet practice. To the right side of the room was a collection of exercise equipment and on the left side was an exercise barre for a dancer to stretch.

"Oh, my gosh! This is like my dance studio!" the teen girl exclaimed eagerly. "So I can practice here…"

"There's a changing room in here that you can use, Teá," Tzipporah explained. "You can use the steam room, the pool, whatever you'd like. You saved Lisa today; it's the least any of us can do for you. Please enjoy this room. Mr. Kaiba and Mokuba use it for workouts, while Mrs. Kaiba has used it for aerobics. No one's used it for dance."

"Then I'll use it," the brown-haired girl smiled. She took her dance bag into the changing room and got on her favorite practice outfit. She pulled on a shocking pink long-sleeved leotard, a baby-pink georgette wrap-around skirt, black legwarmers and pink _pointe_ shoes. She went out into the exercise room and turned on the _Laputa: Castle in the Sky_ soundtrack. She began with her ritual warm up, stretching her supple muscles before she would put them through her dance practice. She finished her stretches and returned the CD to the first track, beginning a routine of her own creation. Its early version had impressed her dance teachers, and as Teá had continued to refine it over the course of a year, they had continued to be impressed at her budding skills as a dancer and would-be choreographer.

She felt herself releasing from all concerns but her movements as her feet and body flew across the polished floor. She could feel her friends' minds, all in various states of stress. But for now, she let even that go. She couldn't explain to any of her friends in words how dancing affected her. All Teá could tell them was that dancing made her feel like she figured Yugi, Mai, Joey or Seto felt as they dueled, or Tristan when he worked on his motorcycle or models of airplanes or Lisa as she helped her patients. And somehow, everyone in the gang understood what the young dancer meant.

She twirled and leapt, spun slowly in place and then as she finished the sequence, she heard enthusiastic clapping. She had tuned out so successfully that she hadn't sensed Mokuba Kaiba coming down from his brother and sister-in-law's bedroom to the gym room to watch his friend. "Mokuba?" she asked in surprise when she saw him. "I didn't even sense you. I guess I tuned out."

The little boy was sitting on the floor, cross-legged, his chin resting against his fists. His blue-gray eyes were shining and he was smiling. "Teá, wow! That was amazing! And I didn't want to disturb you so I just watched for a bit. Are you done?"

"Almost; do I have time to finish?" she asked. "Is Lisa okay?"

"Yeah and yeah. Lisa's sleeping and you have plenty of time. It's only 10:30."

The young woman took a deep breath and continued with her routine, dancing all the way to her final pose. The youngest Kaiba clapped enthusiastically and she came over to hug him. "Thanks, Mokuba. You really liked it?"

"Yeah," he answered eagerly. "I love that music. That was from _Laputa: Castle in the Sky,_ wasn't it?"

"Yeah," she stated, pulling off her _pointe_ shoes and putting on some ordinary ballet-style bedroom slippers. "I love the soundtrack and I was glad to get the re-master of it."

"Re-master?" he asked.

"Well, there were two dubs of the movie and the second version was dubbed by Disney. They had the movie's composer come back and do what he'd originally composed on a synthesizer with a full orchestra. He added some pieces of music that he hadn't had previously, but I think it made the new dub better. And I fell in love with that version of the music. So I started working on a dance routine to go with it early last year. And my teachers at the dance school really like what I came up with," she finished.

"Wow. Well, you looked really pretty. Are you ever going to perform it on stage?" he asked, blushing slightly at the fact he'd told her she was pretty. Teá wisely didn't call attention to it.

"Someday, I'd like to. I don't think it's ready, though," she said.

"I think it is, Teá. Maybe when Lisa feels a little bit better, you can show her… But… Can you show me how to dance like that? I know I'm a guy, but that looks like a lot of fun!"

The pretty dancer nodded, smiling, and began to teach her young friend and classmate about ballet and how it was also for boys. By the time they finished Teá's tutorial, Mokuba had learned a few ballet steps that just might help him out in sports. "You might be able to do bicycle kicks," she grinned as they cooled down.

"Yeah! That was great! Thanks, Teá!" he said happily, and then he looked at the clock. "Hey, it's almost time for lunch! You want to join me? I think Seto's going to stay with Lisa and have lunch with her."

"Okay. I'd be glad to join you," she smiled.

They headed down the hall and downstairs to the kitchen where Marie, the cook, was waiting for them. The stout, blonde old woman smiled as she fixed some sandwiches and soup. "Good afternoon, Mokuba, Teá. I'll bet you two are hungry."

"Yeah, Marie! Teá showed me how she dances!" the boy answered and then sniffed the air lightly. "What kind of soup did you make?"

"I made chicken noodle for your sister-in-law and I also made some minestrone soup. Which sounds best to you, young man?" the cook asked in her alto voice.

"I'd like minestrone, please, Marie…"

"Teá, how about you, dear?"

Teá considered the two soups and smiled. "I think I'll have the same," she said.

Y

As Mokuba and Teá sat in the kitchen eating their minestrone soup and grilled cheese, Silvia, the white-blonde maid, brought cups of soup and sandwiches up to Seto and Lisa's room. "Mr. Kaiba, lunch is ready," she called softly as she knocked gently on the bedroom door.

"Come on in, Silvia," the young husband called back. The maid opened the door and brought in the food, setting it on a table. "Lisa's still asleep," Seto explained, his eyes on his wife as her chest rose and fell.

"Mr. Kaiba, I'm sorry," the young woman began, feeling the need to apologize, though she knew she couldn't have stopped Lisa.

Seto knew it too. "Silvia, you and Tzipporah did what you could, and you couldn't have known that Lisa would act as she did. So there's no need to apologize. Yelling when you two did helped Teá gather enough strength to stop Lisa. Now she's going to be okay. Hey, where's Mokuba?"

"He's having lunch with Teá, sir, and they've had a lot of fun together. I watched. So he's in good hands right now."

"Good," he answered, relieved. "I think tonight, we'll probably have some visitors. The gang will undoubtedly want to see she's halfway okay. So could you tell Marie that if she's able to, we'd like her pizza for dinner?"

Silvia smiled. "I think she was already thinking that way, sir. I saw the dough being prepped this morning."

"Good…" And then Lisa turned over in her sleep, groaning softly. Seto moved his hand to her forehead, feeling her heat. "She's exhausted; she'll probably sleep a little longer. But I'm going to check her temperature. Silvia…" To his surprise, she'd already gotten the ear thermometer. He quickly checked and Lisa's body temperature was just a whisper above normal. "She's okay. Thanks, Silvia." The young maid nodded, and Seto dismissed her.

About five minutes later, Lisa's eyes fluttered open. "Hi, honey," she murmured as he sat close, smiling down at her. "What time is it?"

"It's about 12:30. You slept for a while," he answered. "You hungry?"

She might've said no, but then smelled Marie's soup. "Actually I think I am," she smiled weakly.

"Okay, let's get you sitting up," he said, smiling back. He helped her up and began feeding her the hot soup in silence for several minutes. That silence hung between them, neither now sure exactly what to say to the other. She had done something that previously neither of them could believe she was capable of attempting. She wasn't sure how to apologize and he wasn't sure how he could help her. But then he spoke. "Babe… Leese, I don't want you mad at yourself for what happened. You weren't thinking straight."

"Seto, honey, I…" She choked on her words, wishing she could find the right ones. But what hurt so much was that not only had she tried to end her life, she had also hurt the man she loved by that action. _How could I have tried this, knowing what it could do to him?_ she thought in shame.

She hadn't put her mental shields up. Seto pulled her into his warm arms. "Babe, don't do this to yourself. You've been so sad. You wanted a release from the pain, didn't you? And you really thought you were dragging us down, didn't you?" he asked in concern and comprehension. She nodded against him, wordlessly, her pained emotions coming to him as clearly as if she was hysterically crying. "Babe, you would never drag us down. And I promise you, no matter how long it takes, we're going to get through this. I'm not going to snap and tell you to get over it; I'm not going to get mad and walk out. And Mokie and I are going to help you through this in whatever way we possibly can. We both love you so much." He hugged her as tightly as he could, and both of them had a good cry in each other's arms.

Y

"Yuge, what do we say?" Joey asked as he, Yugi and the rest of the gang stepped out of the limo about an hour or so later. They had been unable to concentrate on their schoolwork, so the teachers had let them leave an hour and a half early. "I mean… she's… she…"

Yugi wasn't sure what to say, but his sister was. "Joey, what she needs right now is to know that we all love her and don't care how long it takes to get her better," Mai stated calmly. "I know, because I've been near where she's been. When I was hurting after Bennett did… what he did… I was depressed and Hillary," she said, referring to her biological mother and the man who'd claimed to be her father with evident distaste, "told me to get over it and stop acting like my world had ended. She told me what had happened wasn't a big deal and that I needed to stop being so sulky. What I needed at the very least was for her to tell me that whatever happened, she was going to help me. When she told me what she told me, it made me feel far worse. So we need to let her know we're here no matter what."

"Thanks, Mai," Joey answered, understanding. Tzipporah showed them into the house and escorted them to the sitting room. Teá was waiting for them.

"Hey, guys," the dancer greeted as Yugi came to give her a hug. "Seto should be down soon. Lisa's just really upset." She looked tired, but oddly calm from the events of the morning.

"Teá, what happened to her?" Tristan asked, frowning in concern. "We all sensed…"

"Seto told you, I know. She just… I think for a minute that she wanted the pain to stop. She was hurting more than she wanted to admit to any of us and just felt it overpower her. She was holding that scalpel on her wrist. I just felt overwhelming sadness and pain. She couldn't stand it. But she calmed down…"

"You used Jedi Calm on her, Teá," Mai realized, her own eyes widening. "I'm sure that's what you used. And you calmed her down! That's amazing!"

Bakura, sitting quietly, finally spoke. "Jedi Calm?" he inquired. "What is that?"

The gang explained as best they could, and then Teá added, "I didn't think I could actually do it to her, but I did, somehow…"

"Perhaps you have some unexpected strength," Bakura suggested, wishing for the umpteenth time that he could begin the training to be a Jedi. But even the group sensed now that he was not ready. It was a whisper of something strange to them, like the hint of spoilage in a masterpiece banquet. Though they couldn't perceive exactly what was wrong with the British-accented teen, they knew he could not be trained.

But now, that was secondary as Seto Kaiba walked into the room, looking worn out and surprisingly puffy-eyed. "She's sleeping, guys. She seems better, but not one hundred percent. And I called Dr. Miyazaki and Lisa may not be okay for a while." He sighed heavily, sitting down in his chair, an overstuffed one that he loved.

Duke nodded. "Yeah. My dad was really depressed after Mom died. He was sad when I was little; I remember how he'd stand on the balcony at the apartment we lived in and just look out at the Strip. Finally, when I was old enough to understand, he told me why he did it. 'Duke,' he said, 'I look out at the Strip and at the stars and I think about your mom… When she died, I thought part of me died too. And then one night, when I thought it would be better if I jumped off the balcony, I heard you crying. You weren't quite a year old and I went in to check on you and you said your first word. You said "Daddy."' Dad realized he had me to live for and he went on to say that I looked like Mom, so part of her was still in this world," he finished.

The group of teenagers looked at each other. Lisa needed to remember something that would help her want to stay in this world. "Can we go up and see her?" Serenity asked softly.

Seto nodded. "I doubt she's awake but I know you all need to see she's all right. Mokuba's up there with her. He didn't want to leave her alone." And so the group headed up the stairs toward Seto and Lisa's bedroom.

Y

Earlier, Mokuba had come into the bedroom when Seto and Lisa were crying together. He was pleasantly full from his lunch, and feeling a little bit happier when he returned to the room. Teá, at his insistence, had gone back to the gym to practice. He had lowered his mental shields to his brother and sister-in-law's emotions and sensed pain and comfort mixed into one. "Guys?" he called out verbally. Seto looked up from his position, holding Lisa, tears coming down his face. Wordlessly, the teen male held open an arm, and the little boy climbed on the bed to join in the hug. "Big sister," Mokuba murmured, "it's gonna be okay. I'm here…"

Lisa moved her head from Seto's slim yet strong shoulder to look down at her brother-in-law with love and pain. "Oh… oh, sweetie, forgive me. Why was I so..?" she began, but Seto wisely released to let the younger boy hug the young woman.

"You were sad," Mokuba murmured softly, "and you're still not feeling okay, Lisa. Please… please don't hurt yourself like you're hurting yourself right now. I'll stay with you, big sister… I'm gonna help you get better…" Lisa, overcome, released her husband and hugged the small boy to her like a mother would hold her child. The hot tears ran down her cheeks, touching Mokuba like wet kisses. He held onto her tightly as a child holds to his mother.

_This is my baby now,_ Lisa thought, _and I'm going to live for him, even though I lost my little girl. I didn't save him to leave him in such a horrible way. I'm going to live, even though it hurts. I have to… He can't lose anyone else…_ At some point, Seto put his arms around the two people he loved most in this world, rocking them softly. Finally, Lisa needed to lie down.

"It's okay, big sister… you just rest," Mokuba soothed softly as she lay softly against her pillows. "I'm gonna sing for you…" He took a deep breath and began to sing a song from a favorite animated movie that Lisa had introduced him to. The song was called _Flying Dreams_ from _The Secret of NIMH_ and it was all about love and trust. He had learned the lyrics used in the movie and had hoped to sing it to little Sakura when she came, but now the song would comfort Lisa. When he finished the song, she was fast asleep. "Seto, can I sit with Lisa, please?" he asked quietly.

The older Kaiba brother was fighting tears again. "Little brother… that was a good song. Of course you can stay with her. The guys are here." He had just sensed their friends arriving and Teá heading down to greet them. "They'll want to come see her, just to be sure she's alive."

After Seto left the room, Mokuba laid down beside his sister-in-law, cuddling close to her tired too-thin body. _I'll just stay here and rest with her,_ he thought, his mind and body feeling sleepy. Without knowing how, the nine-year-old boy fell asleep beside his sister-in-law. And that was how the group found them a few minutes later.

"Mokuba," Seto called as he and the gang opened the bedroom door, "we're…" And then he caught the scene. Lisa was lying against her pillows, eyes closed and her body covered over with the thick, warm blue duvet. Mokuba had pulled himself close to her, cuddling and apparently drifting off to sleep on top of the blanket, his white socks making a sharp contrast against the blue covers and his uniform. The husband and brother couldn't help but smile at the image before him, reflecting that the two looked almost like mother and child. As the rest of the gang tiptoed into the room with him, Seto quietly moved to the bedside, picked up a throw blanket and laid it over the little boy.

Joey also was smiling. "That's so cute." And then his expression sobered. "She's gonna be okay, Seto; somehow, she's gotta be."

"We'll pull around her and help her," Yugi asserted softly. "We'll help all of you. Seto, I know you're upset too. And you and Mokuba were hurt too. We'll help." The small duelist moved quickly and hugged his friend and rival, the rest of the group joining in seconds later.

When the hug broke apart, Seto asked, "Would you guys like to stay for dinner? Marie's making pizza." The group liked that very much.

Y

That evening, the group did their homework, ate Marie's delicious pizzas including a chocolate dessert pizza and then checked over their schedules for the next day. It would be Yugi's turn to help out with Lisa, and Dr. Miyazaki would come to help her talk through what had occurred Thursday. The gang left at about 7:30 and the Kaiba family was alone.

"Lisa, do you want to watch a show or something?" Seto asked.

"Sure," she answered softly, as all three of them cuddled together on the couch in the media room. They watched a few evening sitcoms together and then headed upstairs. Mokuba made sure Lisa was safe in bed before he would let his brother put him to bed.

"Big brother," the little boy asked as Seto tucked him in, "will Lisa be okay tonight? She won't try again, will she?" The fear in his tone made his big brother look down into the blue-gray eyes. Mokuba's eyes held a lot of fear, and so Seto sat down on the edge of his brother's bed and pulled the raven-haired little boy into his arms, sending reassurance through their mind link.

"Little brother," he murmured, "I can't promise she's not going to try again, but what I can promise is that we're all going to help her however we can. She won't be alone tonight. I'll be with her, okay?" He felt the little boy nod against his chest. "You want me to get Bianca?" he asked, referring to Mokuba's Blue Eyes plush toy. Another nod. "Okay." Seto helped Mokuba lie down again and got the toy. The nine-year-old cuddled the soft plush against himself, and fell asleep quickly.

Seto headed back down the hall to his and Lisa's bedroom and looked in. She was sitting up in the bed, and he noticed she was wearing a different nightgown than she had had on all day. She was also looking at him with a calm, steadfast gaze. "Hey, honey," she called softly. The nightgown she was now wearing was a sheer blue gown that came to her knees. It had a square neckline and flowing sleeves that came to just above her elbows. He could see every unobstructed curve of her hour-glass shaped body, and he reflected for perhaps the thousandth time that she looked like the women of classic artwork. She might be a great deal thinner now, but she still had curves that drove him wild. In response to the emotions she now sensed from him, she smiled a little. "Just the reaction I was hoping for," she stated, still quite gently.

"Babe?" he asked curiously. "Are you… what's going on?"

She took a deep breath before answering. "I need you to know I'm not leaving you. I'm not going to try again. And tonight, I need you to know how much I love you and you alone."

He met her eyes, searching them to be sure of what she wanted. He looked deep into her blue eyes as he came to sit on the bed with her. He took her hands in his and then kissed her slowly as he had their first time. "You're sure? And should we use..?"

"Yeah. I… I'm not ready to try for another baby yet. It'd hurt too much right now," she admitted, the pain coming back into her eyes.

He hugged her close, drinking in her scent. "I understand, Leese. We're just going to focus on you feeling better and getting through this rough part. So if this is what you want, we'll do it…"

"Do you want to?" she asked, searching his eyes, face, thoughts and emotions. "You do," she concluded a few seconds later. He went and locked the bedroom door so Mokuba wouldn't walk in on them, and then returned to the bed. He kissed her again, rubbing his hands up and down her back…

An hour later, Seto and Lisa were wrapped in each other's arms under the covers, both feeling oddly calm. "You okay?" he asked softly as she rested her head against his chest.

"Yeah," she answered, equally softly. "It felt right to do this again… I think we both needed it…" It had been some time since they had been physically intimate, and it really had felt right to be close like that again. "What about you?"

"Yeah, we did. Babe, it hasn't been the same without you. The house… all the time you weren't here… Even when we knew you were going to be okay, it was like this place was empty. I'd look at your side of the bed and well, I didn't want to think that I could've lost you." It took a lot for him to admit just how frightened he'd really been. "I missed this… I missed having you, Lisa."

She cuddled as closely as she could to him in reassurance. "I missed you so much… it was lonely in that bed." They lay in silence after that for a long time, just hearing each other breathe. After a while… "Seto?"

"Hmmm?"

"When do you want to start trying again?"

"Whenever you're really ready for it. And then I'll be ready too. Love you, babe," he murmured, kissing her on the forehead.

"I love you too, honey," she murmured back.

_Lisa will not recover quickly from this, though the healing has definitely begun. Next time on "The Jedi League of Duelists," we speed forward about one year to Valentine's Day 2005. So join us next time for "Cloud Number Nine!" Until then, please read, review and stay tuned! Thank you!_


	51. Cloud Number Nine

Chapter XLV: Cloud Number Nine

_Hello again, fans of the Jedi League! Before we begin this latest chapter, I'd like to announce that I have posted a fic on Adult Fan Fiction. So if you are of age, you can go and see Seto and Lisa's wedding night. My account name is the same at AFF as it is here, so enjoy! And now, thanks again to those of you who read and reviewed the previous chapter. I'm very glad you, dear readers, remain with this story, even with all the time that has passed. And so I begin another chapter, a bit earlier than usual._

_**Disclaimer:**__ Peach Wookiee doesn't own the Yu-Gi-Oh franchise or any related characters. She sort of owns Lisa. She doesn't own any Bryan Adams songs, but she does own some CDs of his music. She was inspired by the song and thought it fit what will happen in this chapter. This chapter is the name of a song of Mr. Adams'. Also, Peach is deliberately parodying the musical __**Chicago's**__ song, "The Cell Block Tango." This is a parody of the song, Peach repeats and she doesn't profit from anything, except from the joy she gets and hopefully gives._

_**Warning:**__ Make-out scene._

_Author's note: By this chapter, about a year has passed since Lisa made her suicide attempt. _

The changing of the seasons didn't stop just because for a time it seemed as if life had ended for one young woman in Domino City. As Lisa Kaiba slowly recovered from her injuries and the loss of who would've been her and Seto's firstborn child, winter changed to spring. The gang looked forward to summer vacation, taking their school exams, and Seto Kaiba finally figured out how to construct an actual light saber. Lisa returned to work at Domino Children's hospital, able to help the children she had worked with before. Spring changed to summer, and in July, Mokuba Kaiba celebrated his tenth birthday. The gang celebrated with a huge party at the mansion and a trip to Kaiba Land.

Summer turned to fall, and the gang returned to school. Everyone who went to Domino High looked forward to their junior year and Lisa, after several months of part-time duty, was finally cleared to go back to work full-time. Among the group, there was also a big change. Serenity Wheeler, with her mother's blessing had started dating. Two young men vied for her affections and one seemed to have won out. The young redhead with the dreamy hazel eyes began to date Duke Devlin exclusively.

In February of 2005, the teens of Domino High School were abuzz over the upcoming romantic holiday, Valentine's Day. This year, it fell during the Domino Unified School District's Mid-Winter Break, and Duke promised a great many things.

"Serenity," he said as they sat in the school library studying on Thursday, February tenth, "I thought maybe if your mom's okay with it, we could go out for dinner and a movie on Monday night. _Phantom of the Opera _is playing and we can go anywhere you want for dinner." His eyes caressed her figure, clad in the Domino High girls' uniform. It wasn't that Duke didn't care about Serenity; he liked her a lot. But he hadn't told her he was dating other girls off and on. He was used to having his own way regarding women and his upbringing hadn't instilled in him how to treat them properly. So perhaps he could not entirely be blamed for what happened later.

Serenity smiled, scanning Duke and noticing that his surface intentions toward her were to give her a great evening. "Yeah, I haven't seen _Phantom _yet, Duke. Mai wanted to take me last week, but I was busy. And dinner sounds wonderful. Let me think about where I want to go… And it won't be anywhere expensive. I really don't want anything too pricey. But I'm glad we're going out on Monday."

Y

Over the weekend, Serenity picked through her closet, looking for just the right dress. She found it, a bright red short-sleeved casual dress, and planned for the romantic evening. Meanwhile, Duke planned out the evening, but not as Serenity envisioned. _I can meet Tracy for an hour and still be on time to meet Serenity,_ he thought. Tracy was a pretty senior at Domino's Jefferson High School, with a curvy hourglass figure, honey-blonde hair and big brown eyes. She was a very popular young woman and, like Duke, a bit of a flirt. Also like the young gambler, Tracy had some… experience. Somewhere along the way, she had gotten the idea that the way boys would pay attention to her was if she was easy. And so it was that she'd found the company of Duke Devlin quite pleasant.

On Valentine's Day, Serenity joyfully went to the game shop and the gang could sense her bliss at the evening to come. Tristan felt her joy particularly strongly. _She's happy,_ he thought, trying to shut out his own heartache. _I wish it was with me, but she chose him. That might change someday, but right now I've got to let it be_. He had found himself falling for her since she came to Domino, but when she had chosen Duke to date exclusively, Tristan had respected her feelings, even if his heart told him that the raven-haired young man might break hers. He looked out the window of the Muto living room, blocking his hurt from Serenity.

"Hey, Tristan," the redheaded girl said, breaking into his thoughts. She'd tapped him on his shoulder, but so inattentive was he that he hadn't realized it. "I brought you a cookie." She held out a chocolate chip cookie that she'd made. It was heart-shaped and covered with red frosting. "Happy Valentine's Day," she smiled sweetly. His mental shields were up so she couldn't sense his deeper emotions, but what she sensed on the surface told her first that he loved the gift; second, that he was sad about something. Her brows knitted together as she frowned slightly in concern. "Hey, is everything okay?"

He blinked, coming out of his reverie. "Oh, yeah. Yeah, I'm okay, Serenity. Just thinking about some stuff," he admitted. "Don't worry about it," he added with a slight smile. "It'll pass."

She tried scanning him again, but sensed only the surface. "Well, if you want to talk, I'll listen. Enjoy your cookie." He took a bite and loved it.

"So are you excited about tonight, Serenity?" Lisa asked, sitting on the couch. Seto was working and tonight, they would have a quiet dinner with Mokuba when Seto got home from work. So today, she and Mokuba were hanging out with the gang.

"Yeah, I can't wait to see _Phantom_ with Duke! And we're going to dinner at that new restaurant, the Iolani!"

"Oh, that Hawaiian place. I'll say you're in for a treat! Seto and I went there last week…" The girls all chatted excitedly about the evening to come. Yugi was making Teá a five-course dinner while Joey and Mai were ordering in at his house (Elizabeth would be chaperoning but out of the way). At about four PM, Serenity and Joey headed home and the young woman got ready for her date.

Y

At 5:30 PM, Serenity Jayne Wheeler headed out her front door, clad in her pretty red dress, a sleek black jacket and red flats. She'd said goodbye to her mother, brother and surrogate sister, so happy that tonight was happening. _I know he'll like this dress,_ she thought, _and he's taking me to a movie! I'll get there a little bit early, but then we can have some time to talk._ Duke Devlin's Game World was within walking distance of the house, and she loved to walk there even when someone could drive her there. Thanks to an eye operation by Dr. Misawa at Domino Children's Hospital in the summer of 2004, she had regained some vision so she could walk to Duke's unescorted. Though a major eye surgery loomed on the horizon, she at least had until sometime in 2006 before her glaucoma became irreversible. But today, she didn't think about that. All she thought about was the wonderful night ahead.

She arrived at Game World at 5:45 PM and headed to a back room where Duke had said he would be. The staff knew her and let her go to the back room, forgetting that Mr. Devlin already had a female visitor that was supposed to be gone already. So they didn't warn him that Serenity was coming. She made her way into the back room, and the greeting she had for the young man she liked a lot died on her lips at the sight in front of her. He was on the couch, his arms around a girl with a thick blonde ponytail tied back with a pink bow. They were kissing passionately and their hands were rather busy.

Serenity's face went white, her mind screaming out in shock and pain. It was such a betrayal that she added verbally, "Duke, why?!" Without waiting for an explanation from him or even for her cry to register, she turned and ran from the room and out of the shop, tears streaming down her face. And at this moment, the overcast sky darkened even further and cold rain poured down upon the broken-hearted teen girl. She ran, but not toward home. _I can't face them… Not now!_ Her heart was broken and she just ran.

Meanwhile, Duke Devlin had indeed heard the horrified scream and as his body reveled in pleasure from Tracy's expert make-out skills, he saw Serenity's face and felt her devastation. As soon as he was fully aware of himself, Duke pulled away from Tracy and went to clean off her lipstick smears, helping Tracy as well. "Who was that?" she asked curiously as they stood in the bathroom. Though she hadn't seen the girl's face, she had heard the scream. "Is it someone else you're seeing?"

"Yeah," he admitted, flushing in shame. He liked Serenity and realized he should have been up-front with her. "I didn't think to tell her we weren't exclusive. We were going out tonight."

Tracy sized him up as she redid her make-up. After she was done, she sighed. "Well, you should've, Duke. I mean, I don't care; I know the game. But if this girl doesn't, you'd better talk to her. I don't think you guys will go out tonight, but go talk to her. Hey, you have those Jedi powers, right?" Most of the city knew about the Jedi-powered teens and some of their abilities.

"Yeah. Oh, boy." Duke lowered his mental shields and then was hit by a barrage of Serenity's pain and grief, followed by anger… at him. The anger came from everyone else in the gang. "I am in so much trouble," he groaned.

Y

Serenity Wheeler ran through the streets, tears still streaming down her sweet face. Water ran down her form in rivulets, her dress clinging to her. _Where do I go?_ she thought. And then she noticed where she was. _Tristan's; I'll go there!_ She had put her mental shields up not long after she had seen Duke's betrayal. She knew the gang would be able to tell that something bad had happened, but oddly she didn't want them swooping down on him or running in to "save" her. But she did need comfort and Tristan seemed the likely choice. And so she ran to the gate around his family's townhouse. She punched in the security code and walked in.

Tristan, at this very moment, had been sitting in worry. _What did he do to her? If he hurt her…_ His light saber sat on his desk, and at this particular moment, the hazel-eyed young man thought very much of using it to hurt Duke back if the raven-haired gambler had hurt the redheaded girl. _I could make him a girl…_ And then he thought better of it. _No, that's of the dark side, and Duke doesn't deserve that… yet. What I need to do is think about how I can help Serenity._

At that very moment, the doorbell rang. Tristan took a deep breath and sensed precisely who it was. Her mental shields were up, but he could still tell it was Serenity. He calmly strode to the front door and opened it. There she was, soaking wet, her pretty dress soaked and clinging to her in a way that left nothing to the imagination as far as her figure was concerned. She was trembling from emotional pain and physical cold. She looked up at him, that pain radiating from herself and in her brown eyes. "H-hey, Tristan," she managed to say before the tears spilled over onto her cheeks. Wordlessly, she threw her arms around him and sobbed.

He found himself hugging her back, murmuring, "It's gonna be okay; shhh. C'mon in and let's get you dried off." He led her into the house and to the couch in the living room. He grabbed a thick blanket, wrapping it around her. "I'll find you some towels and a dry outfit; is that okay?"

"Y-yeah. Th-thanks, T-Tristan." Her teeth were starting to chatter and she started sneezing. _Great, now I caught a cold,_ she thought, frustrated. _My boyfriend cheated on me on Valentine's Day, and now I've got a cold! How can my night get any worse?!_

Tristan, meanwhile, sensed Serenity's mental and physical state as he headed into the guest room. _Man, she's got a cold and that idiot broke her heart. On Valentine's Day, of all days, he had to cheat on her! I'm not going to kill him, but if he comes around here, he's going to get a piece of my mind!_ The guest room had once been his sister Arianna's bedroom and she had left some of her old clothes in the closet. Tristan found some clothes that might fit the young woman now in the living room and went to the linen closet where he found some towels. "Serenity?" he called as he headed into the living room with the stuff.

"Y-yeah?" she responded, the blanket wrapped around her tightly as she sat on the Taylor's comfortable old couch. She reached out to touch Tristan's mind, finding his warm presence and emotions. He wasn't feeling lustful toward her, she realized; he wanted to genuinely make her feel better.

"I got some towels and dry clothes for you. If you want, you can change in the guest room. And I think my mom has a hair dryer in the guest bathroom."

"Well," she said, feeling pretty grungy, "could I take a shower and clean up?"

Tristan, not really surprised, nodded. "Sure. Go ahead. There's shampoo in there and conditioner and some really nice soap Mom got. Take your time."

"Th-Thanks, Tristan," she smiled and sneezed again. "I'll be back!" She headed down the hall to the guest bathroom and bedroom, closing the door. Tristan sighed after she left and headed to the phone, choosing to tell his best friend over the phone rather than through mental IMing.

Y

Back at the Wheeler residence, Joey had been getting the delicious dinner for two that he'd prepared for Mai onto the table. "I hope we hear somethin' soon," he murmured in worry. Even though part of him would like nothing better to tear Duke limb from limb, he knew, like Tristan that such thoughts and actions wouldn't help his little sister.

Mai, however, was letting her anger be known. "I'd like to know what in the heck that jerk was thinking! How could he do that to her?! And on Valentine's Day?! I'd like to Jedi Strike him into next month!" she growled, picturing herself using the defensive ability to send him through a couple of buildings. She was reacting frighteningly, but understandably.

Even so, Joey knew he'd better calm her down. "Mai, I'm mad at him too, but that ain't gonna help her get through this. Let's hear from her and see what she wants. It feels like she's in a safe place right now, so let's eat something. I'll bring the phone out here so if she calls, we're here." Joey's mom was upstairs, watching a movie. And so they waited.

And then at about 7:30, the phone rang. "Good evenin', Wheeler residence," Joey greeted.

"Joey, it's Tristan," Tristan's voice said through the receiver. "Serenity's here. She's asleep in the guestroom."

Joey's eyes widened. "Tristan?! When did she come to you? Why isn't she callin'?!" Wildly, the blonde young man wondered if he'd need to harm his best friend, but then scanned his emotions from afar. _He didn't do anything,_ he thought. _And…_ He reached out to his sister's mind and sensed her resting. "Tristan, is she okay?" he asked, calming down.

"Yeah. He didn't hurt her physically, but emotionally is another story. She didn't tell me much, but Duke did something. I didn't want to pry, and she was really sniffling and soaking wet, so I got her an old outfit of Arianna's and she went and took a shower. When I went to check on her about fifteen minutes ago, she'd crawled into the guest bed and fallen asleep. Joey, if you guys want to come over and pick her up…"

"Call us in about an hour. If she isn't up by then, we'll come over and get her. Tristan…" Joey took a deep breath, trying to get his thoughts together. "I'm glad she's with you tonight," he finally stated. "And… when she's ready, if she wants to go out with you, I'm okay with that." It was a hard thing for Joseph Aaron Wheeler to say to his best friend, but the truth was he knew that his best friend would never do to Serenity what Duke had done to her. It wasn't in Tristan's nature.

And Tristan sensed that trust from Joey. "Thanks, man. But only when she's ready," he promised.

Y

Serenity Wheeler awoke at eight PM, a little bit disoriented. _This isn't my room,_ she thought, and then it came flooding back. Valentine's Day… Duke and that girl… running out into the rain… And then she remembered coming to Tristan's and cleaning up. _Oooh, Joey must be worried. He'd have… Oh, I hope he didn't go and kill Duke._ She knew her brother just might get violent with her now-ex-boyfriend, but she really hoped he wouldn't.

There was a knock at the bedroom door. "Serenity? Are you awake yet?" It was Tristan on the other side of the door with a mug of hot chocolate.

She sat up and sent, _Yeah, I'm up. Come on in, Tristan._

He was surprised at her use of the mind-link, but utilized it as well. _Okay._ He entered the room with the hot chocolate, handing it to her and sitting down on the edge of the bed. _How are you feeling?_

_ A bit better,_ she sent. _I definitely have a cold, but I'll be okay. Thanks for letting me stay for a bit, Tristan. I'm… I'm sorry if I ruined anything for you tonight._ Tristan had been dating other girls off and on, so she naturally assumed that he'd had a date or something he just might have cancelled. _I mean…_

_No, Serenity, it's okay. I was just spending a quiet evening at home, really. I'm glad you stopped by, but I wish your night hadn't been ruined. _He truly meant it. He had been sad when Serenity chose Duke, but he hadn't hoped they would break up on such a bad note as he feared. _So what happened?_

_ Well, I caught him with another girl,_ she explained sadly. _I guess he didn't want to date me exclusively. Tristan, why did he do it? And why didn't he tell me?_

The answer Tristan gave came straight from his heart. _He doesn't know how special you really are. Serenity, you're amazing and if he can't appreciate that, he's the fool._ Trite it might seem, but he meant every word.

"Oh, Tristan," she said verbally, setting down her mug of hot chocolate. He did the same with his chocolate and accepted the warm, sweet hug she gave him. "Thank you. So how long was I asleep?"

"You've been out for about an hour or so. Oh, and Joey called. He and Mai wanted to come over and get you."

"I'll call them, but can I stay here for a little bit longer?" she asked shyly. "I just… don't want to go home yet."

"Okay." And then the doorbell rang. Both of them sensed who it was. "I'll get it," he said tensely. "Do you want to..?"

"Tell him to go away or I might just use my light saber on him!" This was unusual for Serenity to be that angry, but given the circumstances, it was understandable. She wouldn't actually do it, but she could get angry enough to threaten such things.

And so Tristan headed to the door. He could sense Duke fully, standing out on the porch, hoping to be forgiven. Duke did genuinely want to explain himself and make up with her as it turned out. "Hey, Duke," Tristan greeted, frowning. "She's here and she doesn't want to see you. She's really steamed and I don't blame her."

"I'd like to hear it from her," Duke said, expression darkening. He sensed Tristan's emotions clearly as both boys had their mental shields lowered to each other. He sensed hostility from the bigger boy and a clear desire to protect the young woman in the house. But Duke thought that perhaps Tristan was out of line.

But Tristan grabbed the raven-haired boy by his black t-shirt, flashing hazel eyes meeting the bright green ones as he lifted Duke off the ground. "She doesn't want to see you and even said she's thinking of using her saber on you. Do you really want to cross her, especially with what you did to her? What right did you have to cheat on her like that?!"

And then Duke said what perhaps he shouldn't have. "I wasn't cheating on her, Tristan. I guess we didn't talk about seeing more than one person. I'm sorry I got her upset, but I should've told her I was seeing other people."

Tristan's eyes flashed as he held Duke in the tight grip. "You didn't bother to tell her, knowing her past history?! You moron! You know what her father was like! And yet you didn't even tell her! I don't think you're going to see her tonight; in fact, I wouldn't recommend you see any of the girls tonight. I think they're all pretty steamed at you. They know what you pulled. And you're lucky Joey is keeping his feelings in check or you just might've found yourself in a duel, and I'm not referring to Duel Monsters or Dungeon Dice Monsters!"

Duke's eyes widened as he opened himself to the gang's emotions fully and knew that come morning, he would be in very serious trouble. "All right, but tell her I am sorry I hurt her. If she wants to talk, she can call my cell phone or talk to me online. Will you tell her that?" he asked.

Tristan nodded. "Okay… I'll tell her… Good night, Duke…"

"Good night, Tristan." With that, Duke headed off into the night, reflecting that perhaps his style of dating needed some serious re-evaluation.

Tristan headed back inside and back down the hall to the guestroom. Serenity was in tears and he figured out why quickly. "It's over… on Valentine's Day, it's over," she whimpered against him, crying.

He held her close and mentally sent to Joey and Mai, _C'mon over. Duke was just here and it's over between them. Serenity needs you right now. I'll tell you what I know, okay? And bring your mom, Joey. I think this is one of those times that you just need a mom around._

Back at the Wheeler residence, Joey sent back, _Serenity, Mai, Ma and I are comin'…_

Y

The next morning, there was a meeting of certain members of the team. "Okay, so we know he cheated on you, Serenity. The question is, what do we do about it?" Lisa wondered, pulling a white-blonde lock behind her right ear as she and the other women in the team sat around the low table in the Kaiba mansion's media room. She thought what Duke had done was horrid, and last night had contemplated trying a remote Jedi Atomic Wedgie on him. But of course her better self had risen up and reminded her that such behavior was not becoming of a Jedi Master. "Serenity? What do you want?"

The redheaded girl thought carefully about what she wanted to happen. Her anger had abated from last night, so she was no longer thinking of using her light saber on him. She had cried in her family's loving arms, and Mai hadn't gone home to her brother and grandfather's until her boyfriend's little sister was sleeping. Serenity had been greatly comforted. However, even with that, the youngest Wheeler was thinking of what just might give her now ex-boyfriend a taste of humility. "I've got an idea. Remember that dog suit Duke made Joey wear?" She had found out and it had stuck in the back of her mind. "He has to wear it in the center of town."

"Okay, that doesn't seem like quite enough, though," Mai said, also with a plan on her mind. "He should wear a sandwich board that says what he did and what kind of guy he is!"

And then Teá surprised them all with her suggestion. "Girls, have you seen that movie with Renee Zellweger and Catherine Zeta-Jones?"

Lisa realized. "You mean _Chicago?_" When Teá nodded, the white-blonde asked, "Which song are you thinking about?"

"_The Cell Block Tango_," the dancer answered, a slightly wolfish grin on her face. "The ultimate revenge song."

"Well, revenge isn't the Jedi way, but we are going to let Duke know what he did was wrong. We'll do the _Cell Block Tango_ song, but I don't think any of us, with the exception of Teá could pull off the moves," the doctor said sagely. "But we will do the song. Okay, so he wears the dog suit, the sandwich board and we get to do our song and dance routine, dance modified, of course. Ladies, we won't use our powers unless absolutely necessary…"

Y

In another room in the mansion, Duke sat on a chair at the end of a table, glancing at his male friends. Joey stared him down. "Whatever they plan, Duke, you're lucky nobody went after you last night. Mai wanted to rip you apart. Part of me wanted to. But I realized that wouldn't help my sister. You're still gonna apologize to her and mean it!" he growled. He could sense that Duke wasn't really sorry yet. He hadn't truly understood the enormity of what he'd done; the rest of the boys could sense that.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell her; maybe I should've. It's not like we're that serious or anything," the raven-haired gambler said, trying to defend himself. He had done some soul-searching last night, but just hadn't found the part of himself that saw what he did was wrong.

"Duke," Yugi said flatly, "it was wrong. You cheated on her. She's not seeing anyone else and she liked you a lot." The pointy-haired boy had an expression of true sadness on his face. "And the sad thing is you don't realize how bad it is."

"But we aren't even engaged or anything," Duke said, still not getting it.

"That's not it. If you're dating a girl and don't tell her that you want to see other girls too, she's going to assume that you are serious about her and her only. That's cheating, Duke. And you did it. It's not right," Yugi explained. "A situation is only fair if both sides know the rules, remember?" The small King of Games couldn't help but remember a game not quite two years previously where Duke hadn't explained the rules and lost even so. "And in a relationship, both sides have to agree to what they want and expect out of it. And you didn't give Serenity a chance to decide."

The mention of the contest nearly two years previously woke Duke up to what he'd done, and the other young men sensed it. "I didn't think about that," he admitted, shamefacedly. "I'm not used to thinking about it. The truth is, I've liked not being tied down to one person; I admit that. But I didn't mean to hurt Serenity; I just didn't think about what she was feeling. I have to apologize…"

"And unless they're going to physically harm you, I suggest you go along with their punishment," Seto said, having remained silent while the other boys had talked things out. "Knowing Lisa, she won't be ready to use her saber on you. And she will talk the others down from that. They won't be too vindictive, but they may engage in some humiliation."

Duke nodded, accepting his fate.

Y

One hour later, Duke stood in the Kaiba mansion's library in front of a large oak desk. Behind that desk sat Lisa Angela Kaiba, looking oddly regal in her favorite rose pink velour round-necked top and pants. "Duke Rupert Devlin, Jedi Knight, are you prepared to accept the punishment against you?"

"I am, Mistress Lisa," he said formally. "And I would again like to apologize to you, Serenity, for what I did. It wasn't right for me to mislead you in what our relationship was. And it definitely wasn't fair. I hope you can forgive me."

Serenity stood up. "I do forgive you, Duke, but we're breaking up. I can't trust you anymore, and it's going to take a lot before I trust you again."

"I understand, and guys, I accept my punishment. I await your final sentence, Jedi Mistress."

"Duke Devlin, for cheating on Serenity, today you will make up for it in three ways." Lisa snapped her fingers and Teá came forward with a costume in her arms. Duke's eyes widened when he recognized the head of it.

"The… dog suit?" he asked, recognizing the same suit he'd put Joey in.

"Put it on," the young dancer said in the same tone one of Duke's cheerleaders had used on Joey nearly two years before. She was also smirking. And Duke put it on.

"Now what?"

"Now, we'll go to the center of town, Duke, and you're going to wear a sandwich board detailing your crime. And then we're also going to do a little song and dance number… _The Cell Block Tango._ I assume you know what that's from, Duke?" Lisa asked seriously.

"From _Chicago…_ It's that song that the five women who did kill their husbands or lovers and that one gal who didn't sang. You guys are doing that one?" he responded, eyes widening in shock.

"Yup. We'll modify a little since there are four of us, but you're going to be in the center of our little dance." Duke swallowed, understanding he was about experience some humiliation.

Y

The center of Domino City is a small greenbelt with a large two-tiered fountain dedicated to the members of the city who served and to those who made the ultimate sacrifice in the European Theater during World War Two. There is also a clock to tell the denizens of the city the time in the city center. On this day, as the fountain flowed in the still somewhat chilly air and the clock read 11:45 AM, a group of teenage boys strode to the fountain, setting up sound equipment and a portable dance floor. One spiky-haired boy in the group was pointed out by passers-by as the Duel Monsters champion and the blonde boy next to him was the runner-up, Joey Wheeler. They were moving speakers and setting up chairs as the former champion, Seto Kaiba set up the sound equipment.

At precisely noon, four young women, clad in brightly colored dresses with full skirts arrived at the town center. The young women were also wearing elbow-length satin gloves for effect. Following them was a young man wearing a dog suit and a sandwich board that bore the legend, "My name is Duke Rupert Devlin and I cheated on my girlfriend." His head was bowed in shame, the enormity of what he'd done finally crashing down on him. _I'll take this and learn from it… I should've been straightforward with her and I shouldn't have cheated on her. And now, I'm going to pay the price._ He went and sat down on a chair in the center of the dance floor, and then Seto pressed a button on his control panel. Above the teens and around them were buildings with Jumbo-trons on them, and those switched from the selected programming to the town center.

All around the city, thousands of people watched as a camera showed the group of young women standing surrounding the young man in the dog suit. Yugi Muto stood at the ready, a microphone in his right hand. Silently, Seto Kaiba hit another button on his control panel, cuing music. After a few drumbeats and tapping block sounds, Lisa lifted her head and said, "Work."

And then came Serenity. "Dice."

And then Mai added, "Crush."

Finally, Teá intoned, "Dragon."

Yugi grinned. That was his cue. "And now, the four Jedi Mistresses of Domino City in their rendition of _The Cell Block Tango_," he said smoothly as the girls repeated their lines. They repeated the lines again, faster and faster.

And then they sang the first chorus together, "We aren't bad girls, but we want vengeance. We want these guys to know our pain. We tried to tell 'em, but they won't listen. So now they're dealing with the strain!" They repeated this, doing a few solo dancing moves. Lisa moved forward, standing while other girls continued with their own dance moves, repeating the chorus.

The young Mrs. Kaiba smiled and said, "You know how people have these little habits that get you down. Like… Seto!" Seto looked up from his control board, grinning at what came next. "Seto, he likes to work hard. No, not work hard… He's a workaholic," she said, expression changing from happy to frustrated. "All he does is work, work, work, and when I get home, I expect him to take some time to at least say hi. So one night I come home from the hospital and I haven't had a great day, so I'd like a little sympathy. But Seto is on the couch, drinking some coffee and working… No, being a workaholic. So I say to him, 'You keep working anymore tonight…' And he did. So I went over and took the computer and played a game on it… With a sledgehammer."

The girls sang the chorus again and then it was Serenity's turn. "I met Duke Devlin almost two years ago in Domino City. He told me he was single and we hit it off right away. We had a lot in common so I started dating him exclusively. He'd come to my house from work; I'd help him with homework; I'd clean his dice earrings. And then I found out. Single, he said to me? Single? Yeah right! Not only was he dating someone else; oh no. He was dating six other girls!" she said, real anger coming into her stage voice. "One of those players, you know? He rolled his dice every day, deciding who to go out with. But when I found out, he came to my house and I cleaned his dice earrings as usual." A drumbeat. "You know, some dice just can't take paint thinner."

And then the girls sang the second chorus, "We aren't bad girls, but we want vengeance. He took advantage of our time! He really used it, and then abused it. It just seems like he did a crime!"

And then Mai came forward as the other girls danced and sang the second chorus quietly. "I never thought I'd give a card to any guy, especially one like Joey Wheeler. He came into my life, asking me to crush him in a duel. He came to a dueling championship and I gave him my Glory of the King's Hand card so he could duel for the prize. He lost that duel, but then he dueled me, thinking some rather naughty thoughts in the process. 'Crush me,' he says. And crush him, I did…"

The girls sang the two choruses together and then it was Teá's turn as the girls sang the second chorus softly again. "I love Yugi Muto more than I can possibly say… He is a really sensitive and sweet guy. He goes out all the time, trying to find the best dueling cards. Along the way, he's found Dark Magician Girl, Dunames Dark Witch, Red Archery Girl, and the Blue Eyes White Dragon… I don't have any complaints about him, compared to the guy who dates Serenity!" The three girls who'd complained about trivial things regarding their boyfriends or husband looked dramatically at each other and then at Duke, faces turning angry.

And with a sudden hit of trumpets and bells, the girls sang, dancing around Duke in a circle, "You dirty bum! You dirty bum! We aren't bad girls, but we want vengeance. You took advantage of her time! You really used it, and then abused it. It just seems like you did a crime! We aren't bad girls, but we want vengeance. We want you just to know our pain. We tried to tell you, but you won't listen. So now you're dealing with the strain!" The girls repeated their single lines, spun to a stop and pointed at him as the song ended with a clang of cell block doors. All over the city, people began clapping and cheering at the performance.

Y

After the performance, Duke stood for one hour in the dog suit in the center of town with the sign around his neck. People spoke with him, some of whom were disgusted with what he had done. There were others, though, that thought what he'd done was fine and that his friends had overreacted. But Duke, truly understanding now, looked those who thought the punishment was not right straight in the eyes. "I might've agreed with you yesterday morning, and even yesterday night. But what I did was wrong. I should've been honest with Serenity at the first, that we weren't exclusive. And if she hadn't been okay with that, I should've broken up with her. It's going to take time for us to be friends again and I'll do what I can to heal the relationship. And that means if this is what I have to do, this is what I have to do."

Of the young men and women who thought Duke had been wronged, about half of them listened and reevaluated their actions with people they cared about. The other half, however, dismissed Duke as a man who had just been publicly "whipped." They went home and continued on their way and in their views that their behavior was acceptable until reality would inevitably come crashing down on them.

For Duke, he realized he had grown from this experience as he pulled the dog suit off back at Game World. _What have I learned?_ he mused as he hung it up. He had to report to the gang after work this evening; he knew he must think very carefully and show understanding of his crime as well as comprehension of what had occurred today.

Y

At seven PM at the Kaiba mansion, Duke again stood before the gang. "Duke, are you prepared to tell us what you learned through today's experience?" Lisa asked as she scanned his full emotions. _He's definitely learned from this, but I want to hear it from his own mouth in his own words._ Each Jedi teen and the lone preteen were thinking the same thing.

And so Duke nodded. "I am. And first, I learned that I humiliated not just one, but two people through unrelated incidents. Joey, not quite two years ago, I humiliated you by making you wear the dog suit. It might've seemed funny to me at the time, but it was cruel. And again, Joey, I apologize to you and this time, I can understand what you went through. Serenity, I humiliated you yesterday by not being honest with you and playing with your heart. I was wrong and today I understood how it felt to you and how all of you were so angry. You had a right to be, and thank you all for doing the song and dance and not going after me with light sabers."

His friends and ex-girlfriend all nodded, accepting the apology. Serenity came forward. "Duke, I accept your apology. Just remember next time that respect in a relationship means you're honest with the person you're with."

"I'll remember. Friends?"

"Friends," she smiled back.

Y

About a week later at a small café, Serenity sat waiting for someone to bring her a mug of hot chocolate. She smiled as she sensed his eager presence, waiting for the treat and her happy expression as he returned with it. Within a few seconds, he returned to her with two mugs of hot chocolate, topped with whipped cream and cocoa powder. His light saber was slung on his belt, as she wore hers today on her belt. He strode over to their table and set the mugs down. "Serenity, is this okay?" he asked, meeting her eyes.

"Yeah. Thank you, Tristan," she smiled again as he sat down.

And in another part of the city, Joey Wheeler's smile broadened into a grin as he felt his sister's joy. "She's feelin' better," he said to Mai, who also had a smile on her face. They were sitting in the Mutos' living room, enjoying some tea and watching a movie for class.

"Yeah, maybe they'll work out."

"Mai, she's fifteen!"

"I know." The older teen couple shared a laugh at this and enjoyed the warmth of Serenity and Tristan's emotions.

_Not too much action this chapter, everyone, but I truly hope you enjoyed it and the spoof of a song from _**Chicago**_. Next time, the Jedi teens will gain some new members in "The New Recruits!" So stay tuned, and as always, please read and review! I respond to every review I get if it's possible! Thank you!_


	52. The New Recruits

Chapter XLVI: The New Recruits

_Hello again, fans of the Jedi League. You're probably amazed that I actually have updated before sixty days. Thank you very much for your reviews, everyone and welcome to new reviewer, Vampiric Dragonrider! And I'd like to give special congratulations to my co-author in the __**Summer Love, Summer Fears**__ Yugi-verse, 15animefreak15, for her win on DeviantArt's Valentine's Day Contest for her "Ed, Edd and Eddy" story! It's really a good read, so check it out under her name there, i-live-2-rp! Anyhow, on with the story._

_**Disclaimer:**__ Peach does not own the Yu-Gi-Oh franchise, the Star Wars franchise or anything else like that. She owns her OCs, this storyline, this version of the Yugi-verse and anything that's not established. Thank you!_

_**Author's notes, some time later:**__ Minor tweaks made to this chapter._

On Lisa Kaiba's seventeenth birthday, February 22nd, the young woman awoke with an eager happy smile. "Hey, Leese, happy birthday!" Seto greeted his wife with a swift kiss as she came out of the bathroom. "You look happy this morning."

"Seto honey, I had a brainstorm," she answered, grinning. "There are more like us out there!"

Whatever Seto had been expecting, this wasn't it. "Are you sure? Wait, of course you are. But how do we find them?"

"When we talk to the gang tonight, I'll have a better idea on how to do it. I think it's time we expanded," she answered. And then they both sensed a presence barreling toward the bedroom. The door flew open and a blur of red and black flew to the young woman, tackling her.

"Happy birthday, big sister!" Mokuba whooped happily.

Lisa hugged the ten-year-old back. "Thanks, sweetheart. We've got big plans today. I'll go to work…"

"Do you have to?" the boy asked, wishing they could all stay home and have fun together. It wasn't that Mokuba hated high school; in fact, he loved it. But he had liked being home all last week and since it was Lisa's birthday, he hoped he might get another day out of school.

"Yes, sweetie. You go with Seto. He has to go to class too and he has that business meeting at four. And after seven, when I get home, the gang will be here for the party and I'll have a little announcement to make." At the little boy's astonished look and what was possibly going through his mind, she shook her head. "No, it's not that and we'd tell you first. But this is pretty big, okay?"

"Okay, big sister." With that, the three Kaibas got breakfast, got ready and headed off to school and the hospital.

Y

"Any idea what she's thinkin', Seto?" Joey asked as the gang headed to their third period co-ed gym class.

"No idea," Seto admitted. "She said she needed to think things through on how to do this." The boys and girls separated and headed into the locker room to get their gym clothes on. "She wanted to be sure of how to do this. It's not like in _Star Wars_ where figuring who was a Jedi was easy and you had other people to help you with the decision."

"Perhaps I'll be ready," Bakura said eagerly, wanting badly to be a Jedi like his friends. But every time Lisa had examined him, the result had been the same. She had sensed something that wasn't quite right about him. He resigned himself to this, but deep within him, a voice whispered, casting doubt within his mind.

_She's holding back from you,_ the dark presence said softly. _She fears just how great you might become. She doesn't want to be overshadowed._

But Bakura Ryou sighed gently, thinking that dark voice was merely his jealousy. _No_, he thought, _if she's holding back, it's for a good reason. I have to trust her and my friends. They're here for me. How can I doubt them, really?_ The dark voice, realizing his host could not be manipulated now, withdrew into a secluded part of the mind.

"Maybe you will, Bakura," Yugi smiled, wishing he could feel that strange sensation around his friend dissipate and leave so the white-blonde young man could experience the joy of being a Jedi like the rest of them. But somehow, the gang all knew Bakura was not ready. But all of them had seen the day in their minds when he would stand beside them, a Jedi.

In the girls' locker room, Mai pulled on her white gym uniform top. "How did she figure out that we were Jedi?" she asked Teá and Serenity.

Teá, pulling on her socks, thought about it. "Oh! She could tell like we can now. Maybe she knows something more."

"Or maybe she thinks we know people who might be like us," Serenity suggested thoughtfully. Mai and Teá looked at each other and nodded.

"Well, I guess we find out tonight," the blonde young woman stated seriously as they headed out to the gym.

Y

All through the day as she went on her rounds, Lisa thought out exactly how the new Jedi would be brought into the existing gang. _Okay, I've finally got it!_ she thought as she finished up with her last patient of the day in the clinic. _Now, I can tell them!_

She changed in the hospital locker room, but before she finished putting some of her things in her locker, she heard footsteps and sensed the presence of her fellow doctors. They sang the Happy Birthday song as they turned the corner, Hiro Misawa and George O'Malley holding a beautifully frosted birthday cake. "Happy seventeenth, Lisa!" the British-Japanese-American doctor smiled.

"Yeah, Leese! Happy birthday!" George added joyously.

"We all pitched in on this one," Scout Rhodes grinned, straightening her glasses and holding a small present, apparently from her, Darla Truesdale, Jayda Yuki, Hiro and George, out to the young doctor.

"Oh, guys, thank you!" Lisa smiled happily.

"Katai made the cake, Lisa, and Bastion helped to decorate it," Hiro said, mentioning his wife and son as he and George set down the cake on a small table in the room. Lisa examined the cake covered in white frosting and decorated with multicolored recognizable math symbols. "He wanted to show you what he's learned at Davida Dyson," the ophthalmologist explained sheepishly, "though we both told him it's your birthday."

"Oh, no! I love it! It's perfect!" she grinned at her friend. On top of the cake, surrounded by pluses, minuses, multiplication and division marks, written shakily but legibly in purple icing, "Happy birthday, Dr. Lisa!" And then below that was a heart followed by Bastion William Misawa. The little boy, rapidly approaching his fourth birthday, was already reading and writing.

The other doctors produced little presents from their children. Darla handed Lisa an abstract painting that Syrus had made in school yesterday and a drawing of Super Robo-yaro from Zane in kindergarten at Domino Elementary.

Jayda came forward with a smile. "This is from Jaden. That little boy has so much imagination." "This" was a picture of what looked like a cross between a flower and a cat. "He says it's called Dandylion," the proud mother explained, "and he wanted you to have it. He has so much fun at Pokey Oaks."

"I still wish you could've gotten him in at Kenobi," Scout said. "He reminds me so much of my Atty. I think the boys would get along very well."

"I should've registered him when he was pre-natal." The mothers laughed together and Scout gave drawings from Atticus and Alexis of two people singing on a stage. The female figure had been scribbled on a little, indicating one of the siblings hadn't been happy with her looks. Lisa, scanning the emotional imprints left on the paper, deduced that it had been Alexis who'd been displeased.

When Lisa finally opened the box from her five friends, she felt like her cheeks would fall off her face. For inside the box was a simple gold necklace with a charm shaped like an angel. "Oh, guys, thank you!" she squealed like the teen girl she still was. She put it on happily and hugged each of her friends. They ate the cake, revealed to be a red velvet cake, and then it was time for Lisa to get going.

She headed out to the waiting limo at the doctors' entrance/ exit and Roland was standing at the door, holding it open. "Good evening, Lisa. Mr. Kaiba and Mokuba are home, and the gang will be at the house in about an hour. How was your day today?" he asked smiling as he helped her into the car and climbed in after her.

"Oh, pretty good. I had a kid come into the clinic with an infection in her toe. Fortunately, it wasn't too bad, but she's going to have to stay overnight while we flush her system with antibiotics. But she'll make a full recovery."

"That's great," he answered. She inquired about his day, and he started to laugh. "There was an incident in gym class. The class was playing dodge ball and Mokuba threw the ball at his brother…"

"I'll bet that ended well," she chuckled.

"Oh, it did. Seto caught the ball, intending to throw it back, but he tossed it wrong and it hit the wall… and bounced back, hitting him and knocking him into Joey Wheeler. Mokuba caught another ball and tagged them both out!" the security laughed. "And then he and Tristan did a victory dance!"

"A victory dance?" she asked, grimacing. _They didn't, _she thought.

"Yup. The victory dance that Tristan and Joey do…" And so Lisa and Roland could both see Tristan and Mokuba dancing around the gym, singing, "Can can, we kicked a little can-can!" Consequently, both the doctor and security guard cracked up.

Y

Seto Kaiba set a bouquet of twenty-four deep purple roses held in a crystal vase onto a table in the blue sitting room. Mokuba, fresh from a shower, trotted into the room carrying a homemade card and a clumsily wrapped present made in shop class. "I hope she likes this, Seto."

"I think she will, kid. You worked hard on that for three weeks," the ruddy-haired CEO smiled, ruffling his little brother's hair when the small boy came in range after setting the gift down.

Mokuba grinned happily. "This is going to be her best birthday! And… I wonder what we'll learn tonight?"

"Probably a lot, but let's not jump all over Leese, okay, Mokie?"

"Got it, big bro!"

Not fifteen minutes later, Lisa came walking into the house. "Honey, Mokuba! I'm home!" she called, sounding a little bit tired. She was in the foyer and the two young men she loved most came to greet her. They both moved to hug her, Seto adding in a warm kiss, and led her to the sitting room. "What's all this?" she asked in surprise. "Purple roses?!"

"Yeah, it's a new variety," Seto explained, "and it was just recognized the year we met. It's called a Della Reese."

"Honey… it's beautiful," she smiled. And then she noticed the package, clumsily wrapped in blue paper patterned with lightning bolts. "Mokuba, is this from you?" The little boy nodded, blushing and unable to talk. Lisa scanned his emotions and discerned how worried he was that she wouldn't like it. She opened it with the greatest of care and her expression went from one of kindness to one of surprise. "Mokuba… oh, sweetie, it's beautiful!" she exclaimed. He had made her a heart-shaped oak keepsake box, and inside was a note that might seem cliché to some, but he meant it. "'To the best big sister I've ever had! Happy 17th birthday, Lisa! Love, Mokuba.' Oh, sweetie," Lisa said, hugging the small boy as he sat next to her.

"I'm so glad you liked it, big sister. Seto and Ms. Binford helped me with the etchings on the top," he explained eagerly. "Ms. Binford said that I'm really good for my age, right, Seto?"

"She did say that, kiddo… And she's right, Leese," Seto commented. And then he looked at the clock. "Oh, the gang will be here in about thirty minutes. You want to go freshen up?"

"That'd be nice." The birthday girl trotted upstairs, got a shower and got a loose-fitting pale green velour lounge suit on. She came back downstairs and headed to the dining room where everyone was gathered. "Hey, guys!"

Joey came up, giving Lisa a big hug. "Hey, Leese! Happy birthday!" The rest of the group made similar greetings and gave hugs. Seto had ordered his wife's favorite take-out dinner: Chinese food.

Y

After food had been eaten and the gifts given, Lisa stood up happily. "Well, guys, as you all know, I had a brain storm about how we might find more like us in this world. Until I met you guys, I wondered if I might be alone in this world in respect to my abilities. But I found out I wasn't alone. And that made me realize we can find others like us. I'd like to ask all of you to think of people you've met and maybe dueled that seem to have something about them that might indicate they have gifts like ours. These gifts may be untapped, but there's just something you can sense." She handed them each sheets of paper. "Write down any names you might think of, of people who might potentially have abilities. Bakura," she began to apologize, having scanned him again.

But he stood up with a smile and went to her, hugging her. "I understand and it's really all right, Lisa. I'll be trained someday. I know you aren't making me wait out of malice. I'll be patient," he asserted calmly. "But I hope I can be of help tonight… What about business contacts? Would they possibly have abilities?"

The members of the Jedi group exchanged glances for what seemed like the 40th time this evening. "That might not be a bad idea," Max Pegasus said thoughtfully, having come from San Jose to celebrate. "Seto-boy, we may have more Jedi than we think. Okay, Lisa-girl, how do we do this?" Everyone in the group took a breath, awaiting their Jedi mistress's orders.

"All right, everyone. Stretch out with your abilities and let them take over. The names will come to you of people you know who are perhaps ready to begin the training. They will, of course, have to come before us to be scanned so that we're certain they're ready. So concentrate, everyone. The names will come."

And so they did. Yugi reached out with his abilities to all the people he'd met besides the people around the table. _Yami?_ he asked his spirit buddy and soul brother.

Yami too had been helping to draw out images of possible Jedi. _Yes, Yugi? What is it?_

_ Did you have Jedi in Egypt?_ the boy wondered.

The ancient spirit thought about it. _I can't remember, but I would suspect that maybe we did and did not know it. Perhaps we'll find out more…_ Yami trailed off as a name came to him and his 21st century soul brother. _Mako… Mako Tsunami…_

_ Yeah! _ Yugi sent back in agreement, writing down the name. The ocean duelist they'd met at Duelist Kingdom had seemed very strong, but at the time, Yugi and Yami hadn't recognized what they felt about the big boy. _He feels right, and maybe he'll be right…_ And then another name came to Yugi and the image of a little girl with blonde pigtails, big blue eyes and a bit of a bratty attitude. He wrote down the girl's name and sighed, sensing he might just regret it. Finally, everyone had written a list and Lisa picked them up with her telekinesis.

She glanced over the lists quickly and smiled. "Well it seems we have two definite common names here. Mako Tsunami and Rebecca Hawkins, is that right?" Several heads nodded. "What can you tell me about them?"

"Well, Yuge faced Mako at Duelist Kingdom," Joey explained, telling Lisa the story of the duel. "…Anyway, he thinks his dad is still out there. If he's a Jedi, will he know the truth, no matter what it is?"

Lisa nodded. "He will, and if he is a Jedi, it'll be that much easier to search out the truth. And we can help him through finding his father or dealing with the loss. And Rebecca Hawkins," she read the next name. "She's that little girl who's the junior division champ right now, right?"

"Yeah," Yugi said, a little apprehension on his face. "She's… kind of strange. She's a good duelist, but… well…" He explained about the duel where he'd surrendered to teach Rebecca about friendship and sacrifice. "…I just hope she learned the lesson."

"I think she did, little brother, a little too well," Mai said. At her brother's curious look, the eldest Muto child smiled slightly. "Remember two weeks ago when I went for that photo shoot on female duelists?"

"Yeah."

"Well… Yugi, she likes you… and I think it's more of a crush now…" Mai explained how the now-ten-year-old girl was happily saying she would make Yugi her boyfriend when she saw him again. "Little brother, she likes you a lot!"

"But sis, I'm almost seventeen! I'm too old for her!" Yugi exclaimed, horror evident on his face. "Darn it! Why can't I look older?!" It was one of those moments where he regretted his short stature and innocent look. "I mean… If she said I'm her boyfriend…" He left the sentence unfinished, picturing the media firestorm and the potential arrest for indecent liberties with a minor child.

Everyone sweat-dropped, seeing what he saw. "Yugi, that won't happen," Teá soothed him. "I mean, you haven't spent time with her at all since you two met that day in the arena."

The small duelist blushed at his best female friend's words. "Yeah, I guess you're right, Teá. I guess I've just gotten used to seeing all that stuff on the news when people get worried."

The group moved onto the next name on the list. "Zigfried Von Schroeder… Seto, who's that?" Lisa asked.

"A competitor in the gaming industry," the ruddy-haired CEO explained, a puzzled look on his face. "I don't know why his name came up. We met when we were twelve and when I made my partnership with you, Max, but… why his name would come up, I don't understand."

"Let's all reach out and find out why," she said, "and look up his profile, honey."

Seto called up the information on his laptop computer and then put the information onto a big screen. On the screen was the image of a young man with raspberry pink hair and bright blue eyes, clad in a frilly pink suit, not unlike what Max had worn at Duelist Kingdom. "Good heavens, that's quite a lot of pink," the Industrial Illusions CEO commented. "But I remember that boy. He came in late the day I made the deal with you, Seto-boy. I remember scanning his mind, and he was frustrated and felt like you'd done him a great wrong… But maybe he'll be willing to talk things out…"

"And he has a brother about your age, Mokuba," Serenity commented, squinting slightly at the screen. "Seto, could you..?"

"Yeah," the CEO answered, clicking on the boy's name and magnifying so Serenity could see a little bit better. "Leonhard Von Schroeder, age ten… goes by Leon… Hey, what's that?" he muttered, noting a flashing symbol, indicating a cross-reference. He clicked on it. "Apparently, there's a boy by the name of Leon Wilson competing in Napa Valley. He just started…" He punched a link comparing the pictures of Leon Wilson and Leon Von Schroeder. Everyone gasped in surprise. The two boys were one and the same.

"His brother might not know yet," Yugi muttered thoughtfully. "But maybe we can help them…"

Lisa nodded. "We'll invite these guys over to talk to us. But who's going to come first?" The gang looked at each other, not sure how to decide that.

Y

"Grandpa, I'm so excited! I get to see Yugi again!" a little girl with long, flowing blonde hair and freckles on her face exclaimed eagerly as she and her grandfather strode up to the front door of the Kaiba mansion on February 25th. This little girl wore a blue denim skirt, a white long-sleeved t-shirt, white socks and brown penny loafers.

"Now, Rebecca, you haven't seen him in over a year, almost two years now," the old man, tall with sandy gray hair, a mustache and bright blue eyes like his granddaughter's said patiently. He was clad in a gray suit and wearing a red bow tie around his neck.

"But I'm his girlfriend! He gave me this card as a symbol of his love!" she insisted for the umpteenth time. Arthur Hawkins sighed inwardly at his granddaughter's assertion. He had been trying for the past few months to convince his only grandchild that Yugi had given her a friendly gift, not a gift in the sense she considered it. As smart as Rebecca was, she was still a small girl with a very active imagination combined with a stubborn streak. And Arthur knew that this fact would lead his granddaughter to learn lessons the hard way. They entered the huge home and were led down to the media room.

Solomon Muto was waiting at the door. "Arthur," he said, a genuine smile on his face at the sight of his old friend. "I'm glad to see you again."

"As I'm glad to see you, Solomon," Arthur answered in his soft British accent. "You remember Rebecca."

"Hello, Mr. Muto," the small girl greeted politely. And then she caught sight of Yugi. The young man sensed her sudden burst of enthusiasm at seeing him, rather like a rabid fan girl, and like the rabid fan girl, she ran toward him. "_**Yugi**_!" she squealed.

"**Jedi Shield**!" he shouted out of reflex, raising a barrier he often used to block fan girls and occasionally fan boys from attacking. Rebecca, not realizing, ran right into the shield and bounced off, landing on her rear on the floor.

Her eyes went wide with shock. "How did you..? Why did you do that?!" she gasped out.

Yugi quickly lowered his shield and helped her up. "Sorry, Rebecca, it's force of habit when somebody yells like you did and runs at me."

Rebecca stared. "But… I wouldn't hurt you. I'm your girlfriend!"

"His… what?" Teá asked incredulously. "Excuse me?"

"He gave me this card, Teá! That means he likes me!" the little girl explained as if it were the clearest thing in the world. And then she saw Teá's expression of mingled disgust and… could it be jealousy? "Wait a second; you're mad because I got him first!"

"Rebecca." Yugi had spoken. The little blonde girl met his eyes, those amazing violet eyes of his. "We're just friends. I gave you that card because you're a friend, not because you're a girlfriend. How could I be your boyfriend?" he asked softly.

"But you gave me this! That means…!"

"It just means you're a friend of mine. I gave Joey a card too when we were heading to Duelist Kingdom. He's my friend and he needed that card, Rebecca. I'm sorry if you thought it was more than what I meant, but it just means you're my friend," he said.

But Rebecca wasn't easily swayed. "But…" She wasn't sure what she could argue but she knew she had to argue something. However, it was then that Lisa stepped in.

"Rebecca? I'm Lisa Kaiba," she introduced herself to the little girl.

Rebecca grinned eagerly. "Hi! You're the super-smart doctor and the Jedi girl! But… what's going on? Why is Yugi saying he's just my friend?" she asked, face tightening in frustration.

"Because it's true, sweetie," Lisa explained, kneeling to the little girl's level. "First, how old are you now?"

"I'm ten."

"How old is Yugi?"

Rebecca didn't hesitate. "Sixteen and he'll be seventeen in June…" And then it hit her like a runaway truck… "Oh, that's bad. But we could wait until I'm grown up; then it wouldn't be bad!"

"Rebecca… honey…" Lisa knew all too well that this was going to hurt. When she was in college, she'd developed an infatuation with George O'Malley and fantasized about marrying him. Her little fantasy had almost run away with her when one afternoon, she'd seen him with his boyfriend at the time. She had been a bit shocked that he was with someone, and at her age, a guy and it had broken her little heart. But George had seen and run right to her, explaining the situation, being kind and firm when he realized her imagination had run away with her. And now, Lisa knew what to do. "Sweetie… first, Yugi is too old for you and he's never been interested in you in that way. It wouldn't be right. And even if it was okay, he isn't. I know it hurts, but it's the truth…"

"Grandpa," the small girl whined a little, looking back at the man who had raised her with a hint of pleading in her eyes, "it's not true, is it? Tell me it's not true!"

Arthur Charles Hawkins sighed, wishing he didn't have to do this. And so he knelt and held his arms out to his grandchild. She moved in to take the hug, and he murmured, "It is true, little love. I tried to tell you, Rebecca, but you didn't want to hear me… I'm sorry, sweetheart." She looked into her grandfather's eyes and started crying, but knew he wouldn't lie to her.

Finally, Rebecca wiped her eyes and asked, "So why am I here? Grandpa told me it was important, but wouldn't tell me why."

Lisa smiled again. "Rebecca, you're here because we are looking for new Jedi to join our group. We each think that you might have the gift and we'd like to test you…"

The little girl considered this a long moment. And then she gazed at her grandfather. "Grandpa? Can I?"

Arthur thought about it and then smiled. "Of course, darling… Test her, Lisa…"

Lisa nodded and stood, moving a few feet from the small girl. She raised her arms up and out, parallel to the floor, palms out toward Rebecca. She closed her eyes and asked the little girl to do the same and think of nothing. And then the young doctor scanned the little girl, sensing her potential strength and if she was all right to begin training. When Lisa finished, she opened her eyes. "Rebecca?" The little girl looked up, hopeful. "You are Jedi…"

Y

The next afternoon, as Rebecca began learning the rudiments of controlling her new-found abilities, a seventeen-year-old young man with violently pink hair pulled back into a ponytail exited a lavender Gulfstream jet at the Domino Airfield. He stepped lithely down the rollaway steps, clad today in a pair of white ankle boots and a powder blue suit which brought out his eyes. "Now, Leon, are you ready?" Zigfried Von Schroeder called behind him.

A small boy with raspberry red hair, brown eyes and a smattering of freckles on his face stepped down the stairs as well. Most of the time, he had an excited and happy air about him, but today, he seemed sad. "I'm ready, big brother," he sighed. "I just wish I knew why both of us were called to this."

They walked in silence to a waiting white limousine, climbed in and stayed silent for a moment after the car began to move. "I don't know either, liebchen," he said, using a German term of endearment, "but we will see why. And if Herr Kaiba has any ulterior motive, he will regret it very much. Mutti has had to deal with Papa all this time because of the previous Herr Kaiba and we will have our revenge…"

"I understand, Zigfried," Leon sighed. He couldn't understand why Seto Kaiba had called both him and his brother to a meeting, and he dreaded it. Zigfried hadn't yet discovered what his little brother had been up to in Napa Valley. "We just have to see what he wants, right?"

"Yes, Leon," the older brother answered and again silence reigned until they reached the Kaiba mansion. They climbed out of the car and were led to the dining room where Seto Kaiba sat at the head of the long dining table. "Hello, Herr Kaiba," the teen CEO of Von Schroeder Corp greeted. "I admit I am surprised at this invitation."

Seto's eyes narrowed, already scanning his counterpart's mental state. 'He's trying to act like nothing's wrong,' he thought. 'But he's angry with me…' Out loud he said, "I have my reasons for inviting you here, Zigfried. You no doubt know that I have… certain abilities?" he asked, eyebrows raising.

"Yes, Herr Kaiba."

"So you are aware that I can read your mind?" Seto asked again with deadly calm, slipping into the mode of cold-hearted CEO. "And are you aware that I could destroy you?"

Zigfried knew full well what the Jedi group could do, and inwardly he quaked. But outwardly, he answered equally calmly, "I am aware, Herr Kaiba. And if you can read my thoughts, then scan me and tell me what I am thinking."

"All right then." Seto took a deep breath, scanning deeper than the surface. "You blame me for the fact that you were late that day, and you blame me for your father's mental state, your mother's anger, and your misery along with your brother's. True?" Zigfried's eyes widened in shock. And the brown-haired teen continued, "You came here, hoping to figure out a way to exact your revenge against me. You're so angry at what's happened to your family; your mother's kept telling you that the Kaibas and the Von Schroeders are mortal enemies and that the Kaibas must be destroyed."

All through this, Zigfried's eyes had kept widening until they were the size of saucers. He could no longer hide his surprise at how well Herr Kaiba was reading him. 'This cannot be!' he thought. Verbally, he responded, "You have read me correctly, Herr Kaiba. So have you called me and my brother here to end the conflict?" Leon tensed too at this. From how his brother talked, this could be the end of them both!

But Seto's expression changed to a slight smile. "The conflict will end today, but not in the way you think. Lisa?" he called. "Guys?" The Jedi group entered the room from another door. "I believe you know of my wife, my little brother and our friends?"

Zigfried nodded and then Leon's eyes widened with shock and joy. He grinned, beholding his dueling hero. But before he could say a word, the small pink-headed boy felt his mind go into overload and the world go sideways as he hit the ground. The last thing he heard was his brother screaming his name…

Y

The next thing Leon knew, he was waking up in what felt like a warm bed, a cool wash cloth on his forehead. "Take it easy, sweetie," a warm female voice murmured. "You're going to be all right."

Leon opened his big brown eyes to see a white-blonde woman above him. "Huh? What happened?" he asked tiredly. "And… you're Mrs. Kaiba, right?"

Lisa Kaiba smiled gently. "Yeah, and you're Leon Wilson."

Automatically, the boy answered, "Yeah…" And then he abruptly remembered where he was and that he actually had already revealed himself as Leon Von Schroeder. "Oops," he groaned.

Zigfried moved into the boy's field of vision. "Leon, I know now. And it's all right, liebchen; Mutti doesn't have to know yet. But… you are a good duelist. And… the war between families is over. You were out for about an hour. Lisa believed that you could use some sleep. But I know about your dueling. Why did you use a fake name?" the elder Von Schroeder boy asked gently, frowning with concern.

With Lisa's help, Leon managed to sit up. "I didn't want you guys knowing. Mutti's worried enough with Papa being the way he is and it's not like I get noticed anyway. Mutti would just say I'm…" And then tightness came to his throat and he began to cry.

Lisa moved off the bed and Zigfried moved into her place, putting his arms around his little brother. He'd been so busy all his life, trying to be the perfect son. But today, he realized he'd neglected his brother, the one who looked up to him most. "Mutti would be wrong if she said you were wasting time… Leon, you are only ten years old… You cannot be expected to be as I have had to be… You're a child and should be one! And you should enjoy dueling, little brother. I was wrong to seek revenge against Seto and his family. I was late and it seems that great minds thought very much alike," he chuckled finally. "How are you feeling?"

Leon smiled a little, looking up into his brother's blue eyes. "A little better… I thought I saw… my dueling hero," he explained, seeing a familiar spiked head over his brother's shoulder. He blinked. "I did! Yugi's here!" Yugi grinned, introduced himself, and as soon as Leon was strong enough, he was scanned and inducted into the Jedi training.

Y

On February 28, a Monday afternoon, another young man made his way to the Kaiba mansion. He was clad in dark navy Bermuda-length shorts, a sky-blue sleeveless shirt trimmed with navy blue and belted with a navy blue sash. A light wind blew that afternoon, ruffling his raven hair.

_I wonder why Seto Kaiba has called me here,_ Mako Tsunami thought as his sandals clapped against the stone walkway. _It is odd because I have never dueled him… I have also, to my knowledge, never wronged him._ And then, something came to him, like a tickle. _He is Jedi… and other duelists have come here… Perhaps…_ He quickened his step, the mental tickle continuing. On the edge of his mind, he could almost feel… joy? Whatever it was that he was feeling, it was a strange sensation. He came to the door, was let in by Tzipporah the maid, and led to the media room. He was surprised to not only see Seto Kaiba, his wife and brother, but also… "Yugi, this is quite a surprise. I did not expect to see you or any of your friends here," he stated. "But I have to ask. Am I here because I might be a Jedi?"

The group of Jedi looked at each other, just mildly surprised. Yugi grinned. "Wow, Mako! I think you are! Who's going to test him, Lisa?"

Lisa smiled, standing from her seat. "You are, Yugi."

The diminutive teen boy moved from his seat and took position near the large ocean duelist, beginning the scanning process. The boy closed his eyes and in his mind's eye, he and Yami could both see the familiar form of the fisherman's son, now surrounded by a bright blue aura. "Hmmm, you sense anything, Yami?" he asked his spirit buddy.

Yami shook his head. "I can't sense anything wrong. His aura is not like Bakura's, but it is strong with Jedi ability. Yugi, he is one of us."

Yugi grinned again. "Great!" The young man left the confines of his head and opened his violet eyes. "He's one of us, Lisa!" The Jedi mistress grinned back at the King of Games.

Y

"Mako," Lisa said about three hours later as everyone sat in the media room after the newest recruit had learned how to mentally communicate with his friends, "I can tell there's something you need to deal with that you haven't been able to. You want to know where your father is, don't you?"

Mako nodded. "The lifeboat was missing. I just want to know where he is and if he is okay. Can I truly do that?"

"Do you have something of his that you can use to connect to him?" she asked. He nodded. "Okay. Then take it out and use it to concentrate on your father's essence. His spirit is connected to what it is."

Mako pulled out a card from his dueling deck. He held the card up and showed it to the Jedi mistress and leader. Lisa's eyebrows raised as she noticed the resemblance between the card wielder and the card image. "It looks a lot like my father did. I was sent this card, but I do not know who sent it," he admitted. "I believe it was my father. It came from overseas and was addressed from a friend of his, but the letter seemed to be something Dad could write," he explained.

"Okay Mako, take a deep breath and call up the mental image of your father. Use that card to guide you," she said softly, taking his hand that held the card. They closed their eyes and were soon in a mindscape. It was dark, but Lisa could see Mako and he could see her in this dark place. "It's okay," she said, gazing at his mental self.

"This is… my mind?" he asked her curiously. She nodded. "Well then, how do we find my father?"

Lisa glanced around and saw a sea-green ribbon of energy fluttering in front of them like a path. "I think we're supposed to follow that, Mako." He nodded, wondering how it could be that easy.

They began walking, and as they did, large screens appeared. A young boy of about thirteen in shorts and a t-shirt with a crazy mop of raven hair stood on the bow of a fishing boat, looking back at his smooth-haired father. Domino of about thirty years previously stood behind the boat's stern and the little boy grinned, telling his father something in fluent Japanese. "That man… is Ojiisan… my grandfather! That is when my father was a boy and fishing with him! Ojiisan died when I was very small… But Dad told me stories. Ojiisan was born in Okinawa and came to the US when he was seven years old with his family. The war broke out when he was twelve and they left the camps when he was sixteen. Ojiisan met Oba-chan in the 1950s and they had Dad in 1962. And Dad told me about going out on the boats. This was a day that he and Ojiisan just looked out at the sea and sky."

They continued to follow the ribbon and came upon another scene. Mako's father was older and in what appeared to be… "This is Domino University, where Dad met Mom," Mako said, eyes wide. "He went there to major in oceanography and she was there to major in marine biology." On the screen, Mako's father approached a young woman with bright blue eyes and mahogany hair. The young man watching the scene smiled sadly. "That's Mom. I barely knew her. She died when I was three. She was on a trip with her parents and they all died. I don't know exactly what happened. Dad wouldn't talk about it."

Lisa sighed sadly. "He lost the great love of his life… But he still had you… You have your mother's eyes," she said gently.

Mako smiled at that and they walked on. The next scene was the day Mako was born. "March 1, 1984," he said, seeing his infant self covered in blood and amniotic fluid, wrapped in a blanket and handed to his flushed but happy mother. "That's when I was born."

"So you're almost twenty-one now," she observed. He nodded. "And your birthday is tomorrow! Mako, we'll celebrate, okay?" He nodded again with a smile.

They followed the ribbon through more memories; the day of Mako's mother's funeral, the day Mako's father had gotten a new boat for his fishing business… "Dad was happiest following Ojiisan's footsteps and fishing nets." And then, a huge catch with little Mako…

"Daddy!" Seven-year-old Mako laughed as he held up a yellowfin tuna, "This fish is almost as big as I am!"

"That it is, Mako," Benjirou Tsunami said in a joyous, booming voice, his brown eyes sparkling like the blue water of the Pacific. "You're going to be a fisherman just like your old man someday. And I know Ojiisan would've been very proud of you."

"He's proud of you too, Daddy!" little Mako grinned, setting the fish in a cooler. "Look at all the fish we caught today!" There was a net, full of fish, on the deck and father and son reveled in it.

The father and son sailed back to port and then deposited their catch with the local fish market. "Ben, these are always so incredible!" one customer grinned as he examined one particular yellowfin tuna.

Benjirou "Ben" Tsunami grinned back. "My son's my good luck charm. Ever since I brought him along on catches, I've nearly always had good ones!"

The screen faded and another scene took its place. It was a sunny day… The present-day Mako shuddered. "No, not this day."

And then Benjirou looked out onto the sea. There were dark clouds gathering on the horizon, cumulonimbus clouds. He knew what might be coming, but rather than frighten his son, he spoke calmly. "Look, Mako, there's a storm blowing in!"

"A big one?" twelve-year-old Mako asked with slight fear and wonder.

"Maybe," the father answered. "I've learned never to take chances with the sea," he reminded his son, who nodded. "We'll be all right."

Little Mako nodded with absolute trust in his daddy. And then he looked at the storm. "It's coming up quick!"

"We can't outrun it. We'll just have to ride it out, son," Benjirou explained calmly. As present-day Mako and Lisa watched, the sea-green ribbon shivered visibly.

And then the storm hit with hurricane-force winds. The waves dwarfed the craft, tossing it to and fro. Little Mako was barely holding on. "Dad, I'm scared! I can't hold on!"

Benjirou gazed at his only child and took a length of rope, tying his son to the mast. "Okay, Mako, it's going to be all right. I'm going to try and radio for help!" The elder Tsunami ran to the bridge of the ship, grabbed his radio and called, "Mayday, Mayday, this is the fishing vessel Yukiko! We are…" And then he saw a wave about the height of the Kaiba Corp building in downtown Domino racing toward them. He could hear Mako screaming in terror, and the wave hit.

Benjirou was knocked from the bridge and a life raft flew from a storage locker onto the water. Benjirou hit his head on the mast near the ship's stern. His neck was broken in a perfect hangman's fracture, killing him instantly when his spinal cord severed. His lifeless body flew through the air, hitting the unforgiving sea. The body was tossed like a ragdoll by the current before it sank forever beneath the waves. Present day Mako and Lisa watched the final scene of Benjirou Tsunami's life, and the sea-green ribbon that represented his life force lost its luster. It fluttered to the ground, merely a sea-green silken ribbon, but no longer glowing.

Y

Mako came out of the trance crying. "I did not want to believe it, but… my father is gone. He is really gone."

Lisa pulled the older duelist into a gentle hug. "Let it out, Mako. I know it hurts… And you've been hurting all this time. Let yourself grieve for him." The ocean duelist finally did. He felt the warmth of more arms surrounding him as he let loose pain that had festered for not quite ten years. The tickle that he'd felt of joy earlier was now of sympathy and mutual pain.

He opened his eyes, wiping them too. "I… can feel your emotions," he stated softly. "I… is this part of being a Jedi?"

"Yeah," Yugi explained gently, still hugging the grieving young man. "We can feel when any one of us is hurting. And that means we can help you feel better. We'll all help you, Mako. And we'll be your family."

Mako smiled through his tears at his new family. "I would like that very much, Yugi."

Y

The next day was Mako's birthday, and it was an amazing one. "All right! I will conquer this jump!" he stated, now clad in a loose-fitting top and pair of men's yoga pants. He had already learned to control his telepathic and empathic abilities, and successfully levitated a few objects. And now, he was about to hurtle himself through the air as the senior Jedi had done nearly two years previously, and what Rebecca, Leon and Zigfried had just learned to do.

"C'mon, Mako! You can do it," the three ten-year-olds, Mokuba, Rebecca and Leon shouted out.

"Sie können es tun!" Zigfried called out in German, echoing his brother.

_Watch me fly like a fish leaping from the water, Dad!_ the 21-year-old thought as he began his run. He hit the springboard and leapt into the air. He twirled, holding himself impossibly airborne before landing perfectly on his feet. The early March sun shone on the tan young man's features and somewhere, he knew his father was proud of him.

_And so ends another chapter of the Jedi League saga! I do hope it was worth the wait! Please read, review and stay tuned! I'll see you next time! Thank you!_


	53. Movies and Nightmares

Chapter XLVII: Movies and Nightmares

_Hello again, everyone. I wish to apologize again for such a long delay, this time one of over ten months. Ten months ago, things started to get busy and depressing for me all at the same time. I took a class in Victorian literature for fun which was my first foray into a classroom as a student in over seven years, and it was a successful one. I also have taken two courses in cake decorating and look forward to taking a third. Should you want to see what I've been able to do, check out my DeviantArt account!_

_As I enjoyed such triumph, I also tasted pain. Without going into too much detail, too much happened at once. Suffice it to say, I ended up in counseling for about seven months. Why am I telling you all of this, dear readers? I want you to know that if you're having problems, you're not alone. And if you're having problems, it's okay to get help. Check your resources at school and at work. There is help available to you. Get it and you will feel better with time. I reiterate that you are not alone and no matter your age, it's okay to seek help. Thank you for your attention._

_**Disclaimer: **__I don't own the Yu-Gi-Oh franchise or its characters. I just play in the Yugi-verse. I also don't own anything that is owned by Disney… except some plushies in my attic, some soundtracks and an assortment of home videos and DVDs. I also don't own anything by Dreamworks or any other studio. I don't own any characters from the Yugi-verse or any other TV show or anime except OCs and non-established characters. I own my interpretations and this story. Finally, it is an odd coincidence that I chose Mad Sword Beasts for one dreamer's sequence and that LittleKuriboh used "To Die For" from __**The Lion King **__soundtrack for Episode 50 of __**The Abridged Series**__. But it was a coincidence as I didn't see the episode until October and thought of it sometime before the episode came out._

_**Author's note:**__ For those of you who are wondering, yes, the George O'Malley in this tale is gay. It is a nod to T.R. Knight, the actor who played __**Grey's Anatomy's**__ George O'Malley, who is gay in real life and endured slurs for it. Furthermore, I would like to thank the website, __**Tour Egypt,**__ for its information on how slaves were treated in ancient times. Special thanks to Vampiric Dragonrider and Hermione494 for their consults on the nightmare sequences!_

Toward the end of March, Rebecca and her grandfather returned to their home near Yucca Valley, while Zigfried and Leon went to their family home in Dusseldorf. Mako Tsunami was able to get an apartment close to Domino's fish market as he now had a job there. For the more senior members of the Jedi-like group, life seemed to slow slightly or at least to what was normal for them.

On March 25, a Friday, Joey had an idea in his last-period class, geometry. _Hey, guys,_ he sent, _why don't we have a movie night tonight? It's a three-day weekend and we've been trainin' hard for almost a month. Think Leese might be willin' to give us a night off?_

In Trigonometry, Seto Kaiba was working through his problems at lightning speed. As usual, everyone else in his class was struggling while he had mastered the Law of Cosines. _Yeah, _he sent back. _We've all been working too hard lately._ He had been working on an upgrade to the duel disk system that he'd brought to Duelist Kingdom and was nearly ready with a prototype. He had dark circles under his eyes, a testament to the sleepless nights he'd endured. Meanwhile, he and Mokuba and the rest of the group had just taken the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) in order to graduate the next school year. Joey also had been putting in extra hours mowing lawns and doing other odd jobs around his neighborhood, though he was being tight-lipped about why. Lisa had been putting in late hours at the hospital, sometimes working as much as sixteen hours a day. Yugi also had been helping at the game shop due to a major influx of business.

_I could definitely use the break,_ Teá agreed as she wrote down a proof in geometry. Her feet still ached from last night's dance practice. _My recital's coming up next week and I need to relax tonight. Mai, what about you?_

_Yeah,_ the older girl sent from her seat. _Grandpa will be cool with us having the night off._ She shifted a little bit, her skin sticking slightly to the plastic seat in the unseasonably warm room. Deep in her psyche, she thought, _I want a shower and I want my shorts on!_ She could almost feel the water cascading down her trim body and the whisper of her favorite fresh undergarments as she pulled them on. And then she sensed something else, looking over to confirm it. Joey's eyes were slightly glazed over. _I didn't shut my mind to him…_ She quickly did so, but he didn't lose that dreamy expression the rest of the class.

After class, the group gathered at the shoe lockers. "So, what's the plan, Seto?" Joey queried, still trying to shake the image of Mai's beautiful, wet body from his mind. He finally decided to hold the image in a private part of his psyche to give himself further motivation. Whatever he was motivating himself for, he wasn't telling. Right now, though, he turned his attention to the matter at hand.

"Well," the CEO answered, "if all of you are okay with it, we'll order some dinner and then gorge ourselves on movies. Any suggestions on what we should see?"

"Hmm… How about _Flashdance?_" Teá suggested, to a collective groan. She abruptly sweat-dropped. "Okay, I guess seeing it twenty times is a bit much."

Seto, Mokuba, Mai, Duke and Bakura exchanged glances at this and then each scanned their friends' emotions. Apparently, _Flashdance_and _Dirty Dancing _were the young dancer's movies of choice. Tonight, however, said movies weren't on the list, lest a minor war erupt among the Jedi teens. Mai thought quickly. "Mokuba's too young for _Moulin Rouge, _isn't he?" When Seto nodded, she asked, "What about a Disney movie?"

"No princesses!" Joey stated forcefully. "Sorry, sis, but that marathon of _The Princess Diaries, Cinderella, Sleepin' Beauty_ and _Snow White_ was too much last weekend."

"Don't worry, big brother, I got it out of my system," Serenity grinned sheepishly, knowing that to put her brother through another princess movie marathon would definitely be pushing it. "What about _The Lion King?_"

Mokuba, who'd just arrived from one of his classes, caught part of the movie conversation. "I've never seen it! Can we, Seto?"

Seto was actually surprised at this. "You haven't? Any reason why not?"

"No, just never got around to it. Lisa says it's kind of like _Hamlet._ And we read it in British Literature!"

"_Hamlet _or _The Lion King?_"

Mokuba laughed. _"Hamlet_!"

The older teens chuckled and then picked a couple of other movies to watch. And then they discussed dinner. "How about Japanese tonight?" Yugi suggested eagerly. "There's this new place called Ohtori's and they make great okonomiyaki and sukiyaki!"

There were a few mental groans at the mention of okonomiyaki, a pancake made with cabbage, but they all were happy at the mention of getting takeout from the popular restaurant. "Well, we can have a big selection," Seto answered for all of them. "And Yugi, they do make Kobe beef hamburgers, if you'd like one."

Yugi practically went into what is known to anime fans as chibi-eyed mode. "Kobe beef hamburgers? Really?" He loved hamburgers, but he had never had one made of Kobe beef.

Seto nodded again. "Might as well have the best, right?" Yugi was inclined to agree.

Y

Meanwhile, at Domino Children's free family clinic, Lisa Kaiba finished up with the latest rounds of free vaccinations the hospital gave out. "There we are; all done, Ashley," she said cheerfully to a small dark-haired girl of about five years old. "You can tell your school that your shots are updated!"

"Thanks, Dr. Lisa," the child answered automatically, rubbing her sore arm and receiving a lollipop and a Petite Angel band-aid.

"If she has any reactions to the vaccine, just bring her in," the young doctor instructed the parents. "It happens occasionally, so we just needed to warn you."

"Thank you, Doctor," the child's mother said. Her husband picked up the small girl and they said goodbye.

Lisa sighed happily when everything was done. George, who'd been her assistant today, grinned. "It was a long day, but we got a lot of kids vaccinated. Got any plans tonight?"

She smiled back at him. "Nothing big. But I am going to enjoy a rest. What about you?"

The nurse nodded at her statement and then responded, "Jerry and I are going out tonight. He's wanted to go to the Bolero."

"You're going to love it, George! And if he likes chicken Alfredo, he should try theirs. It's practically an aphrodisiac." She remembered one particular night last year when Seto had taken her to the restaurant and they had both had the dish. What had followed would be best described as an all-out love scene in a cheap and tawdry romance novel. _Okay, maybe that wasn't what caused it, but thank God we sent Mokuba over to the Wheelers that night,_ she reflected mentally.

The brown-haired, blue-eyed nurse nodded thoughtfully, grinning. "I'll keep that in mind, Leese." They finished up and headed to the locker room. She quickly changed, bade George good evening and good luck, and walked out the door to the waiting limo.

"Hi, Darlene!" she greeted the driver as she climbed in the car. "Hello, Bryce," she added to the security guard in the back seat with her.

"Good afternoon, Lisa," they greeted back at the same time.

"Mr. Kaiba just called me and wanted you to contact him, but on the phone," the security guard stated calmly. "He said something about asking your permission to do something…"

The young woman reached out for her husband's mind to find his thoughts, but not his emotions, blocked. _Is he..?_ she wondered, scanning him for lustful thoughts. _Hmmm… He's not in the mood, but… he's up to something_. "Okay," she sighed, smiling and picking up her cell phone. Her husband would not make this easy.

"Hey, Leese," Seto said when he answered his phone at school, "Bryce told you?"

"Yeah, but he wouldn't tell me what you wanted… What's up?"

"Well, the gang all thought we could use a night to relax and watch a few movies. We picked _Shrek, The Lion King_,and_The Prince of Egypt._" At the last, Seto sensed puzzlement and concern. "Yami picked it. He said something about learning about whatever he may have missed while he was in the Millennium Puzzle. Yugi warned him about what the movie was about and Yami still said he wanted to see it."

"Okay. How about _The Lion King?_"

Seto thought quickly. "Mokuba's read _Hamlet._ So he knows what the plot is about and he should be okay."

"What about you?" she asked. Sure, she knew her husband was made of sterner stuff, but she still couldn't help but wonder if it might trigger something. The last thing he needed was to lose it emotionally in front of the group.

Sensing this, he sighed. "Leese, babe, I'm okay. Mokuba will be okay. He's almost eleven and this movie shouldn't be a problem. Don't worry about it."

"Okay, honey," she said softly, still not convinced this was a good idea. "So what are we having for dinner?"

"We're ordering in Ohtori's. Yugi wanted a Kobe beef burger."

Lisa's eyes widened. "You're spending that much on him?"

The young husband sighed again. "He_ is _the King of Games. It's okay, Leese. You're halfway home, right?"

"Yeah. Do you need me to pick something up?"

"No, just c'mon home. We'll order the food and you've had a long week. You can get a shower and Mokie and I will be home in a little bit. The gang will be over in about two hours."

"Okay, see you in a bit. Love you."

Seto closed his cell phone, smiling a little. "She's going for it, guys. We'll meet up a little after six. And yes, Mokuba," he said, reading his brother's unspoken question, "you may ask if it's okay to do that."

Joey grinned in response. "Yeah, kid, you can hang out with us 'til it's time."

"Thanks!" The group headed its separate ways until it was time to meet at the mansion.

Seto headed straight home this afternoon, glad that for once, he didn't have an after-school meeting. Once home, he climbed the stairs to the bedroom, hearing the water run in the shower. "Leese?" he called.

"Hi, honey!" she called back, scrubbing her white-blonde hair. "I'm almost done in here!"

Sweaty from gym class, he'd already stripped. "Mind if I come in?" he asked, sorely tempted to see if she wanted to go further than just showering.

"C'mon in," she invited. "How was school?" she asked when he entered.

"Fine," he answered as the scent of her favorite lavender bath gel assaulted his nose. The warm water caused his skin to tingle as well. She was scrubbing with a lather puff now and turned to face him. "How was your day?" he queried, taking the puff from her and scrubbing her back.

"Oh, it was all right. We gave out free vaccinations at the clinic today, thanks to that donation you made. And we're able to keep them in stock for the rest of the year! What about your day?"

"Oh, the usual. Everything we covered in class, I've covered before. It's too easy, Leese. And then I got a call at noon from the office. There was a minor problem with one of the computers, but it was solved. Someone, it looked like, was trying to hack the system. I was able to take care of it in one minute," he answered with a wolfish grin as she took the puff back and scrubbed him.

"Any idea who it was?"

"I think it was a fan. The username was NKaiba1987. But he or she didn't get very far. The person withdrew fast. I couldn't get a trace on him or her. There was no identifiable IP address." He felt the puff brush against his leg and heard it thud onto the floor.

"I still wonder how you do that. You just took a minute to shut the person down," Lisa murmured, putting her arms around him.

"Yeah. Uh, do we want to get out or..?"

"Hon, I'm a little tired. Maybe later tonight?" she suggested, his disappointment rocketing through her, followed by understanding and anticipation.

"Okay." They stepped out of the shower, not yielding to temptation.

Y

"This is going to be great!" Mokuba whooped as the gang sat in the media room, eating their dinners.

"It already is," Yugi managed to say around a mouthful of Kobe beef burger. The burger, topped with a piece of Colby Jack cheese, crisp lettuce, a thick slice of tomato and then mayonnaise on the bun was ambrosia to the King of Games. He'd never tasted anything so wonderful. The fries were good, but this was amazing! His eyes closed as he swallowed and again bit into the burger, the blend of flavors rippling through his taste buds.

"Yuge, should we leave the burger and you alone?" Joey teased, enjoying the Ohtori's signature ramen dish. Yugi blushed in embarrassment, realizing how goofy his expression must be. "It's okay, man," the blonde boy grinned. "I'd be droolin', too."

The spiky-haired teen grinned at that after he swallowed. "This is great, Joey!" He cut a piece and handed it to his friend. "Try it!" Joey did, with a blissful smile.

"Yuge, remind me next time to get that burger. That is incredible."

Seto tapped his long finger against his soda can to get the group's attention. "Everyone, we're going to start the movies. By my calculations, we have not quite five hours of movies to get through, so we had better get started. It's 7:30."

"_The Lion King _goes first!" Mokuba shouted, grabbing the DVD of said movie and placing it in the player. "I think we should end with _Shrek_ since the other movies are more serious. Is that good?" Everyone nodded.

As the FBI warning and international legal information came on the screen, Joey and Tristan imitated the 20th Century Fox infamous fanfare. Seto, in his old customary irritated persona growled, "Wrong movie studio, you morons!" The transgressors looked at each other and started to laugh.

The group settled in and was spellbound from the beginning of _The Lion King_, particularly Mokuba. He laughed as Simba and Nala the lion cubs escaped from Zazu the hornbill using a cleverly choreographed song and gasped in fear, crying when Mufasa was murdered. His brother and sister-in-law held him close, but he didn't want the movie turned off. _It's okay, guys,_ he sent up to them, though his eyes glistened with tears, _I want to see it all the way through._ And so they did, cheering as Simba triumphed over his evil uncle and became king of Pride Rock.

"Moks, are you okay?" Lisa asked verbally at the end of the film.

The little boy's eyes were red from crying, but he was smiling. "Yeah, I'm okay, big sister. It was a good movie. I liked when Simba's dad came to him and let him know he wasn't alone."

"Yeah, that was good, kid," Seto agreed. He hadn't cried throughout the movie; even now, he wasn't the type to cry at movies. But at the scene when Scar told Simba that the lion cub was responsible for his father's death, something deep within the CEO quaked. He wasn't responsible for Richard's death… was he?

His mind wandered backward to the day his mother had died… _His mother lay in the hospital bed, her now-bluish face framed by raven locks. She looked almost as if she were napping as baby Mokuba lay in his bassinette. But the six-year-old boy knew his mother wouldn't wake. In reality, Seto had been alone and his father hadn't returned to the room until well after the nurse had taken Mokuba to the infant ward. But now, his father entered the room, eyes haunted as he gazed at his dead wife and living children. The six-year-old looked up at his father, tears in his eyes. "Daddy, why did Mommy have to die?"_

_ Richard met the eyes so like his, but his own eyes snapped with sudden anger. "She had to die because you were born, Seto. You killed her." The boy went silent. "And…" His father's clothes became wet, his bangs hung in his face and his eyes became glassy and unfocused as they had been in the morgue. "If you hadn't, I would still be alive. That makes you a murderer."_

The Seto of the present day shivered slightly. His mental shields were up; he wasn't about to alert anyone of what was running through his mind. He managed to keep his surface emotions in check, not even alerting his wife that something might be wrong. He pushed down everything into an isolated portion of his mind and resolved not to let his wife in there. _I'll deal with it later._

Lisa had sensed something from her husband, but he had become so skillful at hiding his thoughts from her that she had only received a flicker of whatever it was. She caught his eyes and sent, _Honey? Are you okay?_

_Yeah. The movie got to me a little. I'm all right. Let's just enjoy the other movies, all right?_

The next movie was _The Prince of Egypt__**.**_ Yugi placed the DVD in the player with some apprehension. _Yami, are you sure you want to watch this? I don't know why, but I keep thinking it's a bad idea._

_Yugi… Aibou, I'm a grown… Well, I appear to be a young adult anyway, even if I am technically a spirit. I believe I can handle this,_ the spirit sent back wryly. He settled himself in Yugi's mind, watching through his eyes. He read the notation about the story's origin and how Hollywood had changed it a bit and then… He was overwhelmed. _What is this, Yugi?!_

_I warned you, Yami,_ Yugi sent back, miserable. _We can turn it off._

_N-no, Yugi… I must see in order to understand._ Yugi did not turn off the player. The entire group could sense Yami and Yugi now. Teá sent a query into their dual mind, but they were absorbed in the opening sequence. _How was a leader capable of ordering such slaughter?_

_ I don't know. Yami, I can understand how people can fear other people enough to hurt them, but I'll never understand how someone can be so casual about… You'll see… _

And Yami did. He shuddered later when Pharaoh Seti so casually stated to Moses that slaves were nothing. _How… How could he state that so calmly? They were people._

Yugi sighed and sent, _He was trained not to see them as real people. And the people in Egypt, including slaves, were trained to live and die if the Pharaoh needed it to be that way. I read in Grandpa's books that the Pharaoh's personal slaves were executed after he died, so they could follow him into the afterlife. It's probably the same reason why… You remember what we read about mummification and tombs last week, don't you?_

_ Oh, yes, I remember, young one… I remember all too well,_ Yami sent back, grimacing. The process had made him wonder where his earthly remains were and if his internal organs really were preserved in earthen jars. _I wonder, though… I believe that I was a leader, but did I have slaves and were they executed when I died? Did they die for a good person or a wicked one?_

_ I'm sure you were a good one, Yami._ Yugi managed a smile for his friend, feeling the spirit relax a little. _If you weren't, I would've known. And what happened while you were still waking up doesn't really count,_ he added quickly. _Besides, I know you meant well, Yami._

_Yes, but perhaps I could have gone about dispensing justice in a better way._ They watched as Moses made his life journey and as the plagues rained down on Egypt. _Had I been Ramses, I would have allowed his people their freedom._

_ Me, too, Yami,_ Yugi agreed. _And I think you would have,_ he sent as the movie reached its climax. _You wouldn't let your people die for something like this, or your son, if you had one. _Yami didn't respond in words, and Yugi felt as if he were wrapped in a pair of strong, warm arms. It was times like these that the small King of Games was glad he had his spirit friend.

It was nearing 10:30 when the gang started the last movie. Mokuba's eyelids were droopy, but he insisted that he could make it through. "I want to watch."

"Okay, kid," Seto answered, keeping his thoughts well-shielded. Judging by Mokuba's current position on the couch— snuggled between Seto and Lisa— he would be asleep before Donkey and Shrek made it to Dragon's castle. And sure enough, just as Shrek and Donkey arrived at Duloc, a series of soft snores told the young man and his wife to look down. A small raven head leaned against Lisa's body, its owner's lips parted as he snored. The rest of the gang looked back at the little dreamer and kept their laughter muted until the end of the movie.

"Mokuba, Mokuba, it's time to go to bed, angel," Lisa murmured as Seto saw the gang to the limo shortly after midnight. The little boy's blue-gray eyes opened in confusion.

"Huh? Is it time to watch another movie?" he asked groggily.

"No, honey, it's time for bed. It's after midnight." She gently helped him to his feet and guided him upstairs. Seto joined her, and together they got Mokuba changed and into his warm bed. "He couldn't even keep his eyes open," Lisa murmured as she and Seto strode down the hall to their bedroom.

"Yeah… He's pretty easy," Seto answered absently. He opened the bedroom door and held it open. Lisa stepped in, her right eyebrow raised. "What?" he asked when they had closed the door behind them.

"Is everything all right?" she asked as she undressed. "You told me that _The Lion King_ got to you. Would you like to talk about it?"

He sighed as well, tossing his clothes into the hamper. "Lisa, it wasn't much. The movie just got to me. I didn't think it would hit me like that." He still blocked his thoughts from her, but hoped what he'd given was enough to fool her.

Lisa scanned him with her empathic abilities. _Hmmm… He's still hiding something from me, but I shouldn't push him on whatever it is. If I do, he'll pull in. He'll tell me when he's ready…_ But she wondered how long it would be. They got into their nightclothes and got in bed. Seto kissed her slowly. _What's this? _she sent.

_It's later,_ he sent back slyly, pressing close. _Are you..? _But a wave of exhaustion radiated out from her. _Leese, you're not…_

_ I'm sorry, honey. It's been a long week._

_ For all of us,_ he reminded her, backing off. He wrapped his arms around her, breathing in her scent. _Good night, Leese. Leese?_ But Lisa was already sound asleep. Gamely, Seto closed his own eyes, drifting with her.

Y

Mokuba found himself wandering what looked like a desert at first. The place he was walking in was desolate, except for a couple of gnarled, leafy trees. But as he glanced at his surroundings, he noticed he was in a canyon. "Hello?" he called out. "Is anyone out there? Seto? Lisa? Where are you?!"

_You… you… you_ echoed off of the canyon walls. The sun brightened them, making the rocks orange and blood-red in places. Above the walls, a tall, familiar figure stood. His expression was cruel, his amber eyes narrowing in disgust at the small figure walking alone in the canyon. He raised his hand, signaling something, and Mokuba heard an ominous rumbling.

The little boy went pale as the cause of the rumbling made itself known. Like a raging waterfall, a herd of Mad Sword Beasts ran down the steep hills leading into the canyon. He turned and ran as fast as he could, though he knew he could not outrun them. He jumped into one of the gnarled trees and hung on. "_**Seto**_! _**Lisa!**_ _**Help me!**_" he screamed.

And then he saw them on the side of the canyon opposite the cruel figure. "_**Hold on, little brother! We're coming!**_" Seto shouted, his voice miraculously carrying over the thundering of the Mad Sword Beasts' hooves. He and Lisa used their Jedi-like abilities to land cat-like on the canyon floor. With enhanced speed, they barely managed to dodge the Sword Beasts and get to the little boy before a creature broke the branch of the tree he was hanging onto.

"We've got you, baby," Lisa murmured, her grip on him tight. They raised their protective physical shields and charged through the stampeding herd. But somehow, Mokuba knew his feeling of safety wouldn't last.

_His_ voice echoed through the canyon. "You honestly think you freaks can stop me? Seto, I should have left you at that orphanage. Now I have to tie up some loose ends!" Abruptly, Mokuba felt Lisa struggling as she, he and Seto rose off the ground.

"What are you doing, you snake?!" Seto demanded, his eyes wide with fear even as he stared at the monster defiantly.

"Killing you, Seto, and your family!" The monster that had long ago forfeited his humanity had clenched his fist as he'd raised them upward. Now he opened that fist and they plummeted. But just before they fell back into the stampede, something caught them.

"No, Father! I won't let you hurt them!" a new voice shouted. It sounded like Leon von Schroeder, but when Mokuba looked up, it was clear that it wasn't his dark pink-haired friend. It was a figure with greenish-blue hair.

"You dare interfere?" The cruel amber eyes narrowed in contempt. "You aren't my son… You're a pampered little brat. My true son is the one who has truly become mine." His gaze turned to the three suspended in the air.

Seto jerked. "You… _**Argh!**_" He clutched his head, his face contorting in pain. His cry became a scream, a scream of agony that changed into a cry of… pleasure. The evil figure moved Seto to his right side, the latter's eyes blank. A cold, cruel smirk played on his face. "I am the true son of Gozaburo Kaiba. And you are nothing." Seto's hand raised, moving their would-be savior next to his little brother and his wife. Mokuba finally saw the blue-haired figure, but only caught a glance. He turned to look back at his brother in terrified disbelief.

"Seto," Lisa called out mentally and verbally. "Seto, please!"

"You are nothing to me, Lisa. You're both in my way," he said coldly. "And you," he stated to the mysterious blue-haired boy, "you never should've been born and had we met, I would've figured a way to get rid of you. And now… You are all nothing." He met the demon's eyes and nodded. Together they opened their fists and as Mokuba plunged to the stampede, hearing his sister-in-law and the boy screaming, he saw his brother watch without feeling…

Y

Mokuba awoke screaming, but he didn't scream for long. "Shh… Mokuba… Angel, it's okay," Lisa murmured, putting her arms around him at the same time his brother did. He said nothing for a long moment, trembling in their arms.

"Mokie," Seto asked softly, "what happened? We sensed you were having a nightmare…"

The raven-haired boy nodded again. "Y-yeah… It was about _The Lion King,_ I think… But it wasn't… I was in a canyon and I saw…" He swallowed hard, remembering the Mad Sword Beasts bearing down on him. "…I saw Gozaburo…" He told them about the stampede, the stranger and his brother being turned against him, Lisa and the stranger. "And then… And then, Seto, you dropped us. And that's when I woke up."

The couple exchanged glances. "Mokuba, Gozaburo is dead," Seto said softly. "He's been gone for almost four years. How could he hurt us now? And how could he turn me against you?"

"I… I don't know, big brother. But something happened in that dream and it felt like it was… Well, Lisa, you looked different. Your hair was a little long and you… um…" The little boy felt like he was going into a lion's den. "You sort of looked… fat."

"Fat?" Lisa's eyes narrowed slightly. "Can I see in your head?" He nodded and opened his mind to her. She scanned past the surface thoughts into the place where his dreams dwelled. And there it was. She was suspended in mid-air, face frightened and belly… "Mokuba," she said, releasing from his mind, "I'm not fat… I'm… pregnant in that dream." She and Seto shared a glance. "Sweetie, did you see anything else in the dream?"

"I don't think so. But that boy… I don't recognize him at all. Big sister, who could he be?"

"Lisa?" Seto murmured.

"Mokuba, maybe you saw something of the future," Lisa said slowly. "Something about that vision… I can't explain it. But whoever that boy was, maybe he's someone you're going to meet. And maybe Gozaburo represents something we're going to face. He can't get us from beyond the grave."

"Yeah, Mokuba, he's not coming back," Seto reassured him. But there seemed to be a slight edge in his voice as he said it. "So let's get you back to sleep, all right?"

"Okay." The little boy snuggled back down in his warm bed, albeit a little reluctantly. But with Seto and Lisa sitting with him, he fell asleep rather quickly. _Maybe I'll figure out what this dream means on my own,_ was his last conscious thought.

"Are you sure we should just leave the room?" Lisa asked her husband as they tiptoed out into the hall. "What if he has that dream again? Maybe…"

"Leese, relax," he said firmly, steering her away from his brother's room. "He's had nightmares before and doesn't need us in there. He's almost eleven, remember?"

"Yeah, I know," she answered, sensing… She couldn't put her finger on it, but it felt as if Seto's warm aura had a cold wind blowing through it. It was almost as if he was turning back into the young man she'd first met almost two years ago. _Honey?_ she sent. _Please tell me what's wrong._

_ Leese, I'm okay. I'm just working something out. Just relax. _The last seemed harsh and he sensed her jerking back emotionally as if slapped. _I'm sorry, babe. That came out wrong. I just have stuff I want to work out on my own, okay?_ he sent in a gentler way, giving her a physical hug.

_Okay. Just please let me know what's going on so I can help if you need it,_ she pleaded.

_I'll tell you when I can,_ he answered as gently as he could. "Let's go to bed," he whispered. "Mokuba'll be okay."

"Okay…" Lisa lay down in the soft bed next to her husband, but remained awake after he had fallen asleep. In the darkness, she sensed something was coming, and it wasn't just some evil force. _Seto… Tell me what's wrong before it destroys you…_

Y

Yami wasn't quite sure how it had happened; all he knew was that he was standing in what appeared to be a palace of some sort. _Is this my past? Could I somehow be back in Egypt?_ He looked down in surprise at his clothing, a linen tunic with a gold collar, a purple cape, and sandals that indicated his station. _I'm… royalty…_ "All right, I am ready to face the challenger," he found himself saying as he sat down on what seemed to be a throne. He was looking out over a large arena, also made of stone. Below him were what appeared to be several servants, all dressed in ceremonial white robes. They looked frightened, standing next to large stone tablets. _They look like Duel Monsters cards,_ he thought, examining the tablets.

The challenger came forward. He was clad in a blue tunic with a bright gold ankh on the chest and golden jewelry, including a gold belt. Yami could not see his opponent's face, but somehow, the man seemed familiar. "Greetings, Your Highness. I am here to claim what is mine and regain what I have lost because of you. I have my servants for this game. What about you?"

"I am ready to defeat you," Yami heard himself saying. It seemed as if his perspective was shifting; he was no longer the young man on the throne, but now an unseen observer. He watched his counterpart clad in the Pharaoh's garb raise a hand. "I have my servants as well. They stand to defeat you." But those didn't look like loyal servants, the Yami of the present realized. There was something in their eyes that said they didn't want to be here. _What is going on here?_

And then he found out. The challenger and Yami's kingly self began to duel. It was fierce. Monsters clashed and fell and then a flash of light came down upon one of the servants. His bone-chilling shriek rang through the air, and then he disappeared. _**What**__?! _The Yami of the present was stunned. What had just happened? He had seen the man surrounded by the white glow and then seemingly disintegrated where he stood. _What did I do?!_

"You have sent one of my people to the Shadow Realm," the challenger shouted. "He will not be the last. What of you? Are you willing to sacrifice your servants?"

"Of course." The young ruler said it in such a blasé way that Yami looked back at his counterpart. The expression on the ruler's face was terrifying. His expression was void of compassion; in fact, it was empty of any emotion. "They know what might be asked of them in this fight."

Something of Yami's terror at his counterpart must have awakened Yugi, because the boy was at his side instantly. "Yami, what..? Is this your dream?"

"Yes… I don't understand, but that appears to be me," he answered, pointing at his royal doppelganger. "And… what is happening here?"

"It… it looks like a duel," the small teen said quietly. "But why are those people there?" And then another person was taken, his scream cutting through Yugi like a knife. "What the..?! Yami?!"

"You have taken one of my people," the Pharaoh stated calmly. "I will not hesitate to take another of yours."

"Sire, how many will it take?" an aide whispered, eyes fearful.

"As many as is necessary to defeat him. They're only slaves."

Yugi tossed in his bed, crying out in shock and pain when he was shaken awake. "Yugi… Yugi, wake up," Solomon Muto whispered urgently, shaking his grandson's shoulders. "Yugi, you're having a nightmare! Wake up!"

Yugi finally did. "G-Grandpa?"

"I could hear you in the other room, my boy. What was it about?"

Yugi took a shaky breath and told his grandfather what he'd seen. "… But… Maybe Yami needs to talk to you. You've talked to him before."

"All right. If he wants to."

Yugi took a deep breath and went into the corridors of his mind. At once he saw the familiar hallway with two rooms opposite each other. He could see his own room with toys and games scattered all over the place through the modern metal door. And then he glanced over at his counterpart's side of their mind. He stepped toward it and opened the door. "Yami?" he called out into the dank darkness.

The spiky-haired doppelganger came slowly out of the shadows into the corridor, a beam of light illuminating a shoe, a leg and then the rest of his slim figure. Though his demeanor was still regal, there was something of a very frightened teen in his bearing that was loathe to admit just how much he was truly shaken. "Yes, Yugi?"

Yugi shifted slightly on one foot, slightly nervous. "Did you hear Grandpa? He'll talk to you if you want."

Now it was Yami's turn to shift uncomfortably. "Can he stand me after what you told him?"

"Why wouldn't he stand you? Yami, it was just a bad dream."

"How do I know it wasn't?" the spirit asked miserably. "Yugi… What if I was the cold tyrant I appeared to be? What if I ordered the deaths of innocents? How can I exist with that knowledge if it is so?"

Yugi paced around his soul buddy, wondering how in the world to respond. "Yami," he said finally, "what I know is that now you're a good person. You regret it if you did, and you'd want to make up for it, right?" The spirit nodded. "Then you are a good person. A cold tyrant would never be really sorry. I wouldn't be feeling from you what I'm feeling if you were a cold tyrant. You're really upset by this. Talk to Grandpa. After all, since you're in my body, he's your grandpa too, right?"

Yami considered that for a moment. "I suppose you're right, Yugi. I… never thought of it that way as…" He trailed off for a moment, collecting his thoughts again. "But I guess you're right. All right, I will speak with him…"

Outside the confines of Yugi's mind, Solomon had waited as his grandson sat lost in thought, or so it would have seemed to an outsider. The old man watched and then saw the subtle glow of the Eye of Horus, indicating a power shift in the Millennium Puzzle and then his grandson's eyes opened. It was and was not Yugi whose gaze met his. The eyes were the same shade of violet, yet they were somehow steelier. They held the wisdom of centuries rather than the knowledge of a mere seventeen years. Where there was jet-black and burgundy-tipped hair, there was now the addition of lightning spikes. And yet despite the differences, this young man in front of him had Yugi's fearful expression.

"Hello, there," Solomon greeted kindly. "I'm not sure you and I have talked directly before."

"You did speak with me mentally," Yami observed, not quite meeting the old man's eyes. "First in my duel with Seto and then when I was alone against Pegasus in the Shadow Realm. If not for you and our friends, I would not have survived. Um… what shall I call you?"

Solomon gently put his hand under the boy's chin, for a boy he was despite being a 5000-year-old spirit. He turned the boy's face to look at him. "Call me Grandpa, my boy. It's all right. You're as much my grandson as he is. You're much the same and right now, you have many questions, don't you? And what would you like me to call you?"

The boy considered it for a long moment. "Call me Yugi, then, if you regard us as much the same."

Solomon nodded. "So what's troubling you, Yugi? Would you like to come downstairs and talk about it?" Yami nodded and together the two headed quietly down to the kitchen.

"Grandpa, I am frightened of this dream," Yami admitted, his hands actually shaking around his mug of hot chocolate. "What if I was what I saw? Yugi says that I could not have been a cold tyrant because I feel remorse and would try to make up for it. But… What if that is only who I am now because of his influence, his goodness?"

Solomon regarded the boy again for a long moment. Something at the back of his mind came to him. A tall young man in a pharaoh's garb, holding his hand out to Solomon as the man had dangled over an abyss in a tomb. _"I've been waiting for you, Shimon,"_ the young man had said. Not long after, Solomon had found himself safe and with the box holding the Millennium Puzzle. How he'd gotten it out of Egypt with no one noticing was a miracle in Solomon's estimation, but the real miracle was getting out of that tomb alive and staying so.

"I think in your past life that you were a good young man. Perhaps not perfect," the old man said finally, "but I think you were good. Don't doubt that, my boy. If you were a leader, then I suspect you were a good one. In Egypt, a pharaoh was considered a god."

Yami considered that. "But… I'm no god." He took yet another shaky breath. "Grandpa, I am a spirit trapped in an ancient puzzle… I'm not even human anymore." Yami studied the hands he now had clenched in his lap, as he shook his head. "And if I'm not human anymore, what am I?"

It was Solomon's turn to ponder. He sipped his cup of herbal tea for what seemed like a century before he answered. "You are still human, Yugi. Even without a body of your own. And you are a good one." He gently gripped his grandson's—Yami's— hands, and peered into the troubled violet eyes. "My boy, listen to me. What makes us—and you—human has nothing to do with a physical body, or anything that can be easily reduced to flesh and bone. What makes a human a human is the spirit, the soul, the mind...without those, we're no different than animals. Trust me on this, you are most certainly human like me, and like Yugi."

Yami felt his… Yugi's… his eyes well up with gratitude. "Thank you, Grandpa… I'll remember what you both have told me…"

"You're welcome, my boy," Solomon murmured. "You really are a good person. You have helped Yugi more than you know. You've protected and guided him in ways I haven't been able to. You helped him to gain friends and to believe in himself. And that tells me you are good." They finished their drinks and got up from the table. The old man came around and gave the boy a strong hug. "Whatever happens, it's going to be all right… Things will unfold as they should. Now, let's get back to bed. You both need your rest."

"Thank you, Grandpa," Yami answered, hugging back. They broke apart and headed back upstairs. Yami flopped down on his… Yugi's bed, lost in his own thoughts as he stared up at the ceiling.

_Yami?_ Yugi sent.

_Yes, Yugi?_

_What Grandpa said was right,_ the small teen sent back again. _You are human, even if you don't have a body right now. And thanks to you, I've gotten stronger. I mean, maybe I could've made friends but… you helped me not to be afraid of doing it…_

_ But Yugi, you have courage. I think you always did…_

_ Yami,_ Yugi sighed, picturing himself in chibi mode with a vein popping out of his head, _what part of "you're okay," don't you get? Yeah, I have some courage, but you did make me braver. You've helped all of us, even if your methods early on weren't exactly right. So will you relax?!_

Yami blinked twice. _Yugi… you're… frustrated? I'm sorry, _he apologized, mentally sweat-dropping.

_It's okay… Let's just go to bed. We hang out with the gang in the afternoon, remember?_ Yugi reminded him, the angry image fading.

_Yes, I remember. Let's go to sleep, then, Yugi… Good night._

_ Night, Yami. _And the spirit felt the warmth of Yugi's mental hug, just before the boy's mind went into blissful unconsciousness. Yami, however, lay awake for a few moments longer, watching as dark clouds became visible through the skylight window. The clouds obscured the moon, the wind came up and Yami heard the staccato sounds of raindrops on the roof and window before he fell into an exhausted sleep.

_ And that, my friends, is what took over ten months to write. I hope you will forgive me and that it was worth the wait. Merry Christmas, happy Boxing Day and a glorious Kwanzaa to all of you! See you in the next chapter, which I hope will not be as long in coming._


	54. Omake: Why Lisa Shouldn't Combine

A Jedi League Omake: Why Lisa Shouldn't Combine Recipes

_ Hello again, fans of the Jedi League! I was trying to get to more serious subject matter, but it seems that this sequence was going to give me writer's block until I wrote it. It's an omake, something that didn't make it into the main story, but somehow too good to just leave out. Rather than make it a separate story as I did with __**This is Halloween**__, I chose to add it to the main story. So enjoy!_

_**Disclaimer:**__ I don't own the Yu-Gi-Oh franchise or its characters. If I did, I'd be rich! I don't own __**Shrek, **__though there are times I wish I did. There are some scenes that are intentionally parodied, and you shall see why at the end of the chapter. I own no DC characters; I only mention them. There will be a further disclaimer as to what I do and do not own at the end of the chapter because I don't want to spoil the tale. The soundtrack recommendations are from __**Shrek: The Original Motion Picture Score.**__ For the first time in several chapters, I have placed the recommendations in italics so you can play along if you like._

_**Warning:**__ Extreme randomness! Things will get weird… for the Yugi-verse, anyway._

Lisa hurtled down a darkened corridor, Seto Kaiba at her side. "So what's the plan?" she asked, the light of torches guiding their way as Klaxons rang out against the stone walls of Pegasus's fairytale castle.

"You take the left corridor. I have to get to Mokuba! If we separate, you can get out of here!" he puffed, moving like an animal running from hunters.

"But I can help!" she whispered urgently, the guards' shouts and pounding feet coming closer.

"You're a doctor. If I need you, I'll call for you!" he shouted without shouting. With that, he ran into the darkness.

Lisa took a deep breath and cast her thoughts around, trying to find Mokuba and the young man she had definitely developed feelings for. _Guards… more guards… __**Pegasus**__! _Her mind screamed the last, sensing that he was heading toward… _Seto!_ He knew where Seto was and was coming to get the teen and his little brother. _I can't get out of here!_ She started to move, formulating a plan, thankful her abilities seemed to be coming under control. _Seto might be mad at me… he might even fire me, but I have to try!_

She arrived at a corridor, hearing two male voices arguing. "Pegasus… let my little brother go. And give me one good reason why I shouldn't tear you apart." Seto's voice!

She raced forward as quietly as she could and heard, "Temper, temper, Kaiba-boy. In a moment, I will take something from your brother and you will have to earn it back, if you can…" She reached out again and sensed Pegasus. Her eyes widened in shock.

_**Shrek: The Original Score**__ Track 13: Saving Donkey's . . ._

Without true conscious thought, she strode forward. "I don't think so!" she called out. Both men turned. "You won't take Mokuba's soul!"

The silver-haired man smirked. "And who might you be, young lady?"

"Uh…" Lisa felt her cheeks turn red and blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "I'm… Batman!"

In the jail cell, Mokuba started to giggle. "You're not Batman!"

"Um… Catwoman?"

Now it was Pegasus's turn to snicker. "You don't look like Michelle Pfeiffer!"

Seto was face-palming, so Lisa decided now was the time to enact her plan. "No, but I don't need dominatrix gear to stop you!" She could feel the energy welling up in her and knew how she must use it.

"And just how do you propose to stop someone with power as I have?" Pegasus asked, stepping forward and still smirking.

_**Shrek: The Original Score**__ Track 14: Escape from the Dragon___

Lisa counter-smirked, "Simple… I have power too! **Jedi Strike**!" she shouted, slamming her enemy to the ground with her modified protective shields. She gestured at the prison door which opened and Mokuba ran out to his brother. Lisa wordlessly summoned something from Pegasus's pocket, tucking it into her own.

"**Lisa**! We've got to get out of here!" Seto shouted, picking up his brother and holding him tight as they began to run.

"I know! This way!" Lisa used her Jedi abilities to sense the quickest way out. She could sense Pegasus coming to and calling his guards.

Seto held his little brother tightly to him. "Mokuba, hang on tight!"

Mokuba yelped, "I will! How do we get out of here?!" They ran up a flight of stairs to what appeared to be a brick wall. Lisa raised a hand, activating the hidden door's mechanism. They charged through.

"Which way now?!" Seto bellowed.

"That way!" Lisa shouted, pointing to her left. They tore off in that direction, only to find a roadblock.

"And where do you think you little brats are goin'?!" Kemo Jensen demanded. And then he sank down, gasping as he felt a blow to his nether regions.

Mokuba, from the safety of his brother's arms gasped, "You shot him in his gizmo!"

Lisa, beet red and feeling slightly strained, yelped, "I know where I shot him! Keep running!" The three ran through the stone corridors into an ornate hallway painted white. Their running feet were muffled by posh red carpet, but they knew the guards were close behind. In fact, the kids could hear the guards shouting unintelligibly.

"**Door**!" Seto shouted and Lisa gestured again. The huge metal doors in front of them came open and they ran through onto stone and into sunshine.

"**What**-? Kaiba?" a small teenage boy with spiky hair shouted as the trio ran past him and his friends.

"You guys might want to run the other way!" Lisa shouted over her shoulder. "There are guards right behind us!"

The spiky-haired boy stared as Seto, carrying Mokuba, ran past him. "Yugi! Run!" Seto shouted again. The boy ran along with his friends. And then Lisa remembered what she had.

"Yugi, catch!" She flung the thing she'd stolen from Pegasus at him, what seemed to be a Duel Monsters card. "I think this is yours!"

"Grandpa!" Yugi yelped happily. He quickly tucked the card in his inner jacket pocket and tore down the huge zigzagging stone steps along with everyone else.

"Seto!" Lisa called out as they reached the bottom of the steps. "Hand me your Blue Eyes White Dragons!"

"What?!" Seto's face was written with obvious questions.

"**Do it**!" she shouted. The teen CEO wisely handed his cards over. Lisa turned to face the oncoming guards. "Keep running! I'll take care of these buttheads!"

Seto turned his head back. "Seto, what's she doing?!" Mokuba yelped.

But before the older Kaiba brother could answer, Lisa levitated the cards, crossing her arms and clenched fists over her chest. "Jedi Summon! _**Blue Eyes White Dragons**_! _**Go**_!" Her arms flung away from her body and her fists remained clenched. Four beams of light materialized around her, coalescing into the familiar dragons. They roared, flying toward the group's would-be assailants. Lisa turned and ran back to her employer, his brother and the new teenagers. "They'll protect us!"

"How did you do that?!" Seto demanded, but there was no time for explanation. The group of kids ran pell-mell through the forest, toward the Kaiba Corp helicopter that Seto had commandeered. The dragons' shadows were just behind them. "We're almost there!" he urged the group on. And then an explosion rang out just beyond the trees at the cliffs where the helicopter had been waiting. When the group got to the clearing near the cliffs, the helicopter had been destroyed.

"We're screwed!" Joey shouted, face paling as he skidded to a stop.

"No, we're not! Seto!" Lisa called out. The teen CEO set his little brother down next to Yugi and ran to Lisa's side. Somehow, he knew what she was planning.

Together they stood as the Blue Eyes White Dragons soared overhead, wheeling around to face the enemy. Kemo was at the front of the pack of guards, smirking. "There's no way out. You brats might as well surrender."

"I don't think so," Seto snarled, moving his right hand out in a gesture of command.

Lisa grinned in a feral way. "We don't surrender…"

Together, the two shouted, "_**Blue Eyes White Dragons**_! _**White Lightning Attack**_!" The dragons roared, their electric flames combining into one.

Kemo's smirk became a classic look of terror. "_**Run**_!" he shouted to the other guards as a huge crackling blue-white fireball raced toward them all. They threw themselves into the air as the fireball hit the ground and then ran away, seeing that the dragons had not disappeared.

"Yeah, you jerks had better run!" Joey whooped in triumph, taking the classic tough-guy pose.

"You aren't messing with us again!" Tristan yelled, taking the same pose as his friend as the guards became pinpricks in the distance. "Hey, Joey! We just won a fight! You know what that means!"

"_**Yeah**_!"

"Uh… what's happening?" Lisa asked no one in particular. Mai Valentine blinked twice. Teá Gardner shrugged… and then all three of the girls' jaws dropped. Joey and Tristan, joined by Mokuba, started dancing the Can-Can, simultaneously declaring that they had "kicked a little can-can." Seto double face-palmed. Yugi, for his part, couldn't decide whether to sweat-drop or anime-style fall. He therefore did both.

The white-haired boy, Bakura, stared at the dragons that had just landed in the clearing near the wreckage of the helicopter. "Er… they're actually real?" he asked, blinking twice at them. As if to prove it, one of the white creatures lowered its head and sniffed him. The boy yelped, hopping on one foot and heavily sweat-dropping. "They are! Is this one going to eat me?!"

Lisa strode up to the sniffing dragon and held her hand to its snout. The dragon sniffed her and nudged her. She smiled and began petting it. "Oh, no, she's trying to make friends."

It was Seto's turn to stride up to the young woman who'd apparently just saved his rear end and his brother's. "What in the hell were you doing and how did you do it? This wasn't on your application, _Doctor._"

Lisa, still petting the huge white dragon, met his eyes. "I had to keep it secret, _Mr. Kaiba,_" she stated, the emphasis on his surname unmistakable. "I believe you would understand that it's not wise for someone with superpowers to advertise their true abilities."

The teen CEO regarded the young doctor for a long moment, pacing around her. "But why didn't you tell me?" he asked. Something in his tone made her eyes widen. It wasn't an employer angry at an employee; it spoke of a person feeling betrayed by a person he cared about. Evidently, he realized it too because his cheeks gained a faint hint of pink. "And how did you get the fourth Blue Eyes? I tore it up…"

Lisa met his eyes, her tone of voice softening. "I honestly don't know. But what I do know is this… we will need to get out of here…"

"I have to get back to Kaiba Corp!"

"Bro… you can't do it alone…" Mokuba had spoken. "And… maybe Yugi can help us…"

_**Shrek: The Original Score**__ Track 25: Ride the Dragon_

Seto sighed. "I never rely on anyone…"

Yugi took a deep breath. "Kaiba… maybe it's time you did. We'd all rather be your friends…"

After a long pause, the teen CEO reluctantly nodded. "All right… but don't expect me to be all gung-ho about your group, Yugi. That leaves another question, though… how do we get back?"

Lisa smiled and patted her dragon. "They'll take us! Won't you, Bianca?" she asked the female. The glowing white dragon glanced at her fellows who inclined their heads. A few minutes later, the teens and child were on the backs of the four dragons, hanging on for dear life. "Hang on tight!" Lisa shouted, Mokuba right behind her and Seto behind him. "We're flying back home bareback!"

"Is this safe?" Joey called to the young woman with strange powers before he yelped. Mai's arms were around him, and they were lifting off the ground. "MAI!"

"I'm not letting go!" she yelled back as the wind stung her porcelain-toned face. Her grip on him tightened. The four dragons put on a burst of speed and the island soon disappeared from view. Yugi and Teá, on their dragon, seemed almost in a state of disbelief. Tristan and Bakura, meanwhile, were holding their arms up and cheering, making their dragon look back and sweat-drop.

"SETO-THIS-IS-THE-BEST-THING-EVER!" Mokuba whooped, his long raven hair tickling his brother's chin.

Seto had been trying to keep his reserve to this point, but with his brother's hair tickling his chin, the wind blowing in his face and the oddness of riding a Blue Eyes White Dragon back home, something in him broke wide open. A grin spread across his face, bigger than he'd had in some time. Had he not been holding his brother in place, Seto would have held up his arms in triumph. Instead, he kept the grin on his face, staring toward the horizon and internally reveling in the freedom of dragon flight.

Y

About two hours later, the group of dragons landed in the enclosed Kaiba Corp complex. The teens and little boy slid neatly off the nearly glowing creatures. "So how do we get in?" Joey asked his rival.

Seto gazed up at the main office building, the euphoria from the flight fading as if it were fog obliterated by the blazing sun. "We may just have to go in directly. Lisa, put those abilities of yours to use," he stated coldly. Lisa could see in his eyes that he wasn't going to forgive her quickly for not telling him. "Tell us what's up there."

The Jedi-like girl cast her thoughts as best she could. Her mind finally rested upon the board of directors, smug in their success and… "What is he doing here?" she muttered.

"Who?" Mokuba asked, eyebrows disappearing into his bangs. "Who's up there?"

"Kemo; I just can't figure how he got here so fast. We'll have to watch out for him," she stated. "Your board of directors, Mr. Kaiba, still believes that you're clueless. They went to Pegasus and they told him you had to die. How convenient; they could pin the murder of you and Mokuba on Pegasus while gaining control of Kaiba Corp. They were planning to kill you both in the end," the Jedi girl concluded. "They don't have any booby traps waiting for us. In fact, I think they expect us to come to them… and… Mr. Kaiba, do you know anything about a virtual video game? They seem to want to trap and kill you in it."

"Not Sim-Lau," the teen CEO muttered, eyes narrowed to slits. "I've been working on that since _**he **_died. And these… people… want to screw with it?!"

"Well, they wanted to use me as a guinea pig, Kaiba," Mai pointed out as the group strode forward. She handed him the letter from the board, inviting her to test out the virtual reality game. "Somehow, I think they had a plan B in case Pegasus double-crossed them or failed."

"Hmmm… they actually have brains. I thought I'd have to buy them some," Seto said with a perfectly straight face.

Joey chuckled. "Rich boy, even I know you fight fair. You may be a jerk, but ya fight fair." Rather than say thank you, Seto nodded curtly in acknowledgment and the blonde boy grinned back.

But the grin quickly faded as they entered the building. "I've got a bad feelin' about this, guys." One by one they climbed into the elevator, Lisa determining that it hadn't been sabotaged. It was a very quiet ride up to the top of the Kaiba Corp building. But they all charged out of the elevator and headed straight to the boardroom, Seto Kaiba in the lead, his eyes flashing with fury.

The teen CEO flung the heavy oak double doors to the boardroom wide looking a bit like a demon striding out of Hell. Just as the rest of the gang came barreling in after him to confront the board, strange music came blaring out of the office's loudspeakers. It was… the Macarena?! Suddenly, the entire group was doing the Macarena for no apparent reason, including the board, the four Blue Eyes White Dragons and the entire city of Domino. And then…

Y

Lisa sat bolt upright in bed. Seto was sound asleep next to her, his sleep unbroken by her abrupt movement. Mokuba had had a repeat of last night's _Lion King_-related nightmare and taken a while to get back to sleep. Lisa had a craving shortly thereafter and had gone downstairs, raiding the fridge. When she'd returned to the bedroom, Seto was sound asleep, so she'd eaten her snack and turned on a cable channel. "Never combine Bobby Flay, Rachel Ray and Julia Child recipes with VH1," she muttered, turning off the TV and going back to sleep.

_Yes, this was a dream sequence, originally intended to be part of the previous chapter. However, I felt that this dream sequence would be inappropriate, given the seriousness of Mokuba's dream and Yami's. It was also a bit long for the chapter too. And now, my final disclaimers: I don't own VH1, or the celebrity chefs and their recipes, and I definitely don't own the Macarena. So on that note, I end this chapter and hope for your reviews! Thank you!_


	55. Bakura's Backroad Adventure

Chapter XLVIII: Bakura's Backroad Adventure

_ Hello again, fans of the Jedi League! Yes, I am attempting to update a little more quickly as my muse seems to be back, so I'll work with it. I thank all of you, my loyal fans, for staying with me during the dark times. And thank you all who have continued to read and review. For those of you who are wondering, none of my fics have been abandoned; I only have to be in the right mood to continue them. And so I continue __**Jedi League.**_

_**Legal disclaimer: **__If I actually owned the Yu-Gi-Oh franchise, my stories would be canon. Are they? No. So clearly, I don't own the franchise. I also don't own the Star Wars franchise or anything else of monetary value that's copyrighted, at least as far as I know. So please, corporations, don't sue. I don't really have anything of value for you to take._

_**Author's notes: **__This chapter comes from the result of discussion with a couple of fans of this story. They pointed out that things in this timeline should have differences from the prime universe and that things shouldn't be totally easy for our heroes. And so, I introduce at long last, a villain that was in canon but was only somewhat of a threat until the final arc. And yes, I know it's probably pretty darned obvious. Thanks to Agent of the Divine One and Vampiric Dragonrider for their suggestions. And a final reminder: this is the dub-verse, folks. The dub takes place in the US. _

_ This chapter may be a bit confusing as well. You will see two perspectives on the same event._

Bakura Ryou gazed out of the window of his first-class seat as his plane approached the runway of Domino International Airport. His father had given him the means to go wherever he wished during the summer holidays, so the boy had carefully planned out his travels. It had been a long two months, and he had seen many things. All the same, he was eager to get home.

Y

The first stop on his itinerary had been London where he and his family had spent so many happy years. He paced the streets, visiting the primary school he'd attended and walking past the kindergarten that Amane had attended. In the years since Bakura and Kenneth had left the country, someone had erected a small memorial to the bubbly kindergartner. It was a small statue of a laughing child in a running pose, glinting in the midday sun. Surrounding the statue was a small collection of planted summer flowers.

It was as if, Bakura reflected, they had captured that sunny day when the family had gone to the countryside and Amane had run across a field, her long white-blonde hair streaming behind her.

"_Bakura, look at the pretty flowers! Aren't they lovely?" she called out on that summer day as she had virtually flown around the field. Her dark eyes shone with the excitement of this small adventure and the joy of being with her family. Her brother raced to her side, his own smile a bit more reserved._

"_Yes, Amane, they're lovely! Let's pick some honeysuckle for Mum, shall we?" he suggested, the scent of the flowers embracing him. It was the scent he associated most strongly with his mother. His hands were soon covered in the scent as he helped his little sister gather the flowers. "Oh, look! Amane, there are daisies here! The princess must have a crown, don't you think?" Bakura was often teased for his ability to weave crowns so quickly, but he didn't care. Those who teased him either didn't have little sisters or weren't comfortable enough in their masculinity to do such a "girly" thing to keep their sisters happy, he figured. But as he sat the flowery crown on his sister's white-blonde hair, all the taunts in the world disappeared. She looked angelic… that is, until she took off running again, the crown flying off onto the grass._

Little had her brother known that it was to be her final summer on Earth. It was only a few months later that Amane and her mother had senselessly lost their lives that rainy afternoon. The school became misty in front of him. Wiping his eyes, he chose to walk. _Maybe someday_, he thought. _Perhaps someday, I'll pay tribute there… but not today…_

His next stop was the street where the world as he had known it ended. The street near Buckingham Palace hadn't changed much in the years since that fatal afternoon when six people, including a little girl who would be in her early teens now, lost their lives. He could still remember coming to this place a few days after Mum and Amane had been laid to rest, rather than sending their bodies back to America. It had been a tough choice to make for Kenneth and Bakura, but they'd made it.

_The sun shone brightly on the two black-clad figures as they reached the street corner. To just eleven-year-old Bakura, the rays burned him rather than bringing comfort. Dad had argued that maybe Amane and Mum had, once in Heaven, requested that God and the angels arrange a sunny day so that he, Dad, and Bakura would know that they were all right and happy where they now were. _It's not enough, Mum… Amane… I wish you were both here with me,_ the boy thought, remembering his little sister's final hours._

"_We're here, son," Kenneth murmured as they came to a stop. "We can't lay the flowers in the street, but the police are allowing us to lay them here at the corner." The boy chanced a glance at his father. Kenneth's dark eyes were red-rimmed, as they had been since Bakura had first seen him at school that afternoon the center of their world had been torn away._

"_Dad…" Bakura's voice failed him. A light breeze was blowing and the boy caught a whiff of petrol and something that smelled like the oddest sort of barbeque. It nearly made him sick. The car with the paparazzi had hit Mum's car and then spun, hitting the concrete step barrier and exploding on impact. The smell from what had fueled the fire still remained, even nearly a week after the accident. But somehow the boy kept what little he'd eaten in his stomach. As he and his father laid down their roses, Bakura heard the click of camera shutters._

_Out of the corner of his eye, Bakura could see his father stand at full height. The dark-haired archaeologist turned and stared at the photographers and camera people of the various media outlets. They all took involuntary steps back, for the look on the grieving father's face was somehow more frightening than a warzone. "I understand that you must capture this moment for the public, but you and they need to remember that my son is not exactly friendly to cameras at the moment. Remember why his mother and sister, my wife and daughter, died on this street. It was because someone wanted a picture of something that may or may not have happened. And while I ask for distance, I also ask that you ask yourselves if the mere rumor was worth six lives."_

_Bakura had stayed down, apparently kneeling in prayer. When he got up, he hugged his father tightly. "Thanks, Dad," he whispered, trying to avoid soaking his father's suit. But somehow, Dad didn't care._

The nearly-seventeen-year-old Bakura smiled, remembering how the media had backed off that day. He and Dad had been able to go back to the cemetery without any interference from them and lay flowers upon Mum's grave and Amane's, too. But Bakura's eleven-year-old self had remained angry at those media members. It wasn't long after that Dad had gone on an expedition to Egypt and brought back an object that had been both blessing and curse…

"_Dad, you're home! How was the dig?" Bakura asked as he nearly ran his dad over, hugging him tightly. _

"_Very good, Bakura. We made some interesting discoveries near the Valley of the Kings. But that's not the best part. I brought you something." The dark-haired man held out a square yet slim box tied with a blue ribbon. "I found it at a bazaar in Cairo. A man said it had something to do with Duel Monsters. I'm not entirely sure, son, but maybe you'll enjoy this. I have this feeling that you're meant to have this."_

"_This" was a large golden ring with a triangle suspended in its center. Around the outside of the ring were several spike-like points. The entire ring was tied to a rope necklace. It entranced the boy. "Dad, this is beautiful," he murmured, taking it out of the box and examining it. "But how old is it?"_

"_The man that sold it to me said it was 5000 years old. I'm not sure I believe it, though."_

"_If that's the case, wasn't taking it out of Egypt illegal?" Bakura couldn't help but notice that a quirky smile twisted his father's lips._

"'_Kura, if I believed it, you wouldn't have this. Enjoy it and its supposedly mystic powers," Dad had laughed. Not long after, Bakura had moments where he seemingly blanked out. But he dismissed it as the school year went on…_

_I suppose I should be grateful to Tristan for chucking that thing in the forest back at Duelist Kingdom,_ Bakura thought in the present day as the sun beat down on him. That evil spirit had been nothing but trouble, and his friend had been right to make sure the thing was well shot of them. He kept on walking.

Y

Bakura enjoyed the rest of his trip through the United Kingdom. He visited Stonehenge and met a very nice elderly American couple whom he picnicked with. The couple had the most delicious sandwiches and snacks with them from a pub in Wiltshire. They had been very nice.

_The white-haired old woman, thin and bent with age, smiled at the young man who had picked up her purse. "My, you're so polite, dear," she said, taking the much-battered purple bag from Bakura's outstretched hand. "Where in England are you from?"_

_ "I'm actually from Domino, California, ma'am," the boy answered, taking care to steady her on the rock she was standing on. "I'm here on holiday. I spent the first part of my life here, though. My mum was born in London… Oh, forgive me, I'm Bakura, Bakura Ryou."_

_ He helped the woman down to level ground and she smiled back. "I'm Tabitha Jones and this is my husband, Irving. We're from Oklahoma." The old woman chatted up a storm, telling the teenage boy about where they lived and their grandchildren. "You look a lot like my Davey," Tabitha said as they headed to a picnic area near the monument. "And I think he doesn't have enough meat on his bones either! Would you like to eat some lunch with us?"_

_ "Oh, goodness, I didn't realize we needed to bring a lunch with us," Bakura said, his pale cheeks reddening. He was on the verge of refusing when his stomach decided to answer for him. "Perhaps I will join you…" Tabitha and Irving smiled at that._

_ Sometime later, Bakura sat on a rolling hill with the elderly couple, the balding old man patting his shoulder. "Bakura, was it?" Irving Jones asked. When the boy nodded, Irving said, "Do you do well in school?"_

_ "Yes, Irving. I'm not at the very top of my class, but I do decently. I have some rather smart friends who help me in my courses. One friend is a doctor and she helps me in biology. She's…"_

_ "A doctor? Goodness, she must be a good neighbor."_

_ "Actually, she's the wife of one of my classmates."_

_ "Wife? Didn't you say you were in high school?" Tabitha piped up, her green eyes wide. "That seems awfully young."_

_ "Well, my classmate is also the CEO of a multinational corporation, you see. Perhaps you've heard of Seto Kaiba?"_

_ Irving and Tabitha nodded, their expressions now of comprehension. "Oh, yes, that makes sense, then. He got married to that girl who had the powers. Those kids are all amazing, and you're friends with them?" Tabitha queried._

_ "I am," Bakura answered with another smile. "Lisa says that someday I might be able to be trained. There's something not quite right about my abilities and she said it would be wise to wait until whatever it was had cleared up."_

_ "You must have a lot of patience, Bakura," Irving said, patting the boy's shoulder yet again. "You need to have it in order to do what's worthwhile… And being a Jedi seems like something worthwhile."_

_ "Yes, I believe it is," the boy answered, nibbling on a pasty. "I know that someday I will hold a saber like the rest of them. I get to sit in on their practices, sometimes. It's extraordinary…" He told them of the flying leaps, the mock duels with kendo sticks and the camaraderie between the Jedi teens. It was this last, he explained, that he felt when with them. _

_ Tabitha nodded. "Maybe that will make all the difference, dear."_

Y

Bakura reflected, as the plane touched gently down onto the runway, that perhaps Tabitha was right. _Perhaps being their friend will make all the difference…_ He was excited to tell them about all he'd learned and seen in the United Kingdom, as well as show them the photographs of the temples, castles and historic ruins he'd visited all over Europe and Asia. He would show them the hotels and youth hostels he'd stayed in and the people he'd met. _They'll love this, I know they will!_

"We have now landed at Domino International Airport. Local time is 4:25 PM and the temperature is 75 degrees. Please remain seated and keep your seatbelts buckled until the plane has come to a complete stop. Thank you for flying with us today," a flight attendant stated over the intercom.

As soon as the plane was parked at the gate, Bakura got up and gathered his belongings. When he got through the connecting tunnel into the gate, sure enough…

"Hey, Bakura!" Yugi called out, gathered with the other Jedi, all holding up signs with welcoming messages. "How was your trip? We all missed you!"

"Oh, it was very nice. I can't wait to show all of you my photos!"

"Lisa, did I have to take time off for this?" Seto grumbled behind the white-blonde boy.

"You did, honey," she answered shortly. What followed were some very terse whispers.

Bakura's eyes widened in shock. "Yugi," he whispered as they moved out of earshot, "is everything all right between them?"

Yugi sighed, his violet eyes betraying his sadness. "He's been pulling in again. Lisa… all of us… are trying to figure out what's wrong, but Seto won't talk about it. It started after the movie night. It's like he's trying to work something out, but it's driving him crazy. We can't go into his mind; he won't let us."

"That's dreadful."

"Yeah, but he hasn't pulled in completely. If he did… I think he and Lisa would've separated. But she's intent on making it work."

"Perhaps he'll open up," Bakura said with a sad smile, looking over his shoulder. Seto and Lisa stood closely together, Mokuba moving happily in front of them. But anyone who truly observed the elder Kaibas would know that something was wrong.

"I hope so." And so Bakura basked in the glow of his friends' company.

Y

The dark presence that lived within Bakura Ryou smirked in triumph. The trip that his host insisted on making took them away from Domino and that insufferable Pharaoh who remembered nothing. _But perhaps I can use this to my advantage,_ he thought, picking up a book on Stonehenge as he and his host flew to their first stop. _Perhaps I don't need Hammond to train my host in the ways of the Jedi. Perhaps I can train myself and not be held by their ideas._

The dark spirit scanned the guidebook. _So… it could be a site of mystical energy. I wonder…_

He observed as his host walked the streets of London, mourning the loss of part of his family. _He mourns for them… he only lost two, though._ The bitterness of centuries ago surfaced. _But the vipers that took his family are dead. Well… not all of them. _A smirk crossed his lips as he sat in the confines of his light counterpart's mind. _There are still those scum that didn't allow him space. I could take care of them now… but there would be evidence that I couldn't do away with._ His host glanced up at a nearby building and saw the metallic and glass glint of the closed-circuit camera. _Definitely a poor idea. He'd be implicated and we'd be in prison. Not wise… but should my plan work, I might have a bit of fun…_

The trip to Stonehenge, as the dark spirit thought, wasn't fun as long as his host was in control. The old couple really got on the spirit's nerves. _Perhaps I could… no, my host would be rather upset. Besides, they are giving us food._ So he allowed it to continue and stayed awake, listening as his host discussed the Jedi-like group back in Domino.

Later that evening, as his host prepared for bed, the dark spirit took over. "Much better," he muttered, smirking. "Now, then… how do I get to that place now without being detected?" A quick glance outside, and the way presented itself. Not ten minutes later, he was tearing down the road in a midnight blue moped. His smirk broadened into a dark grin. _And now, it begins. Look out, Jedi…_

At midnight at the Stonehenge monument, a single guard lay on the ground, his head against the cool stone. His chest rose and fell in a steady, slow rhythm even as a knot formed on the back of his head. Soft footsteps paced away from him and he did not hear the malevolent chuckle.

"Foolish mortal," Dark Bakura muttered as he headed into the heart of the ancient monument. "Tonight, it all begins. I shall gain power that will surpass those fools." The image of that Pharaoh standing in triumph with his purple lightsaber sickened the dark spirit. "He will not stand against me. None of them will. I will make them wander in darkness, but first, I must harness powers like theirs…"

He had reached the center of the monument, surrounded by the ancient stone circle. The wind had picked up, almost as if it was fighting him. But he would not be denied his goal, even by the wind. He held up his arms and felt a strange sort of energy building within him, neither light nor dark. _This will serve me well,_ he thought as it coursed through his body. The ancient boulders began to shake. Dark Bakura closed his eyes and sensed one of the boulders on the top of the structure. He could almost see it through his closed eyelids and imagined an enlarged hand lifting the flattened, ancient rock.

The dark spirit opened his eyes to see the top boulder rising above its two supports. He smirked and laid it down with a light thud. _It appears that this place does enhance one's abilities. My lighter self will have no memory of having been here. _An immoral grin split his features. _I think I know how to make certain he doesn't question anything._

The next morning, the blue moped was in the same place it had been last night when its owner had left it with the same amount of petrol in the tank. Inside the little inn, Bakura Ryou awoke, smiling at the lovely dream he'd had. He'd been standing with his friends at Stonehenge, helping to repair stones that had fallen. It seemed so real, he mused. He had been able to feel that huge boulder, moving at his mental command. _Perhaps someday, I will do it…_

The dark spirit chuckled, undetected by his light counterpart. The next few weeks would be wonderful…

Y

The dark presence masquerading as Bakura Ryou next followed his host's desire to explore France. _Why he wishes to go here… oh, I see. Romance,_ the spirit thought in disgust. He nearly vomited as his host sighed, watching a young couple strolling hand in hand along the Seine River. _He has such childish notions of how things are between people. He has seen cruelty and yet still believes that the world is a good place. I would gladly disabuse him of that notion…_ Flashes of the past came to the ancient spirit, of blood, fire and the general evil of humans. But those memories could not distract him now. No… they could only serve to make him stronger.

_My dear host shall only remember wandering Paris today. I, however, will be doing other things._ He wandered away from the main thoroughfares to a small building that looked to have not been disturbed in centuries. This place drew him in, much like pitcher plants draw in insects. The smell of old documents, as he opened the door, was as sweet as honey.

One might think that the darker Bakura would not be the type to pore over old documents, choosing instead to eliminate his opponents in a brutal fashion. But the spirit had learned patience over five millennia, as well as the value of building a strategy against one's opponents. As soon as he'd shut the door, he headed straight to a bookshelf, selecting a particularly musty tome about the ancient Knights Templar. He had heard that the fictional Jedi were patterned partly after the ancient knights.

The pale boy's brow furrowed, scanning the book. _Nothing here… nothing but history about how the order was betrayed and hunted down and destroyed. Perhaps another book or parchment will tell me something._ He took the book back to the shelf and got something else to examine. Three hours later, however, his brow was no less furrowed and a vein was throbbing at his temple. _Nothing,_ he growled inside his head. There were not even traces of energy in this place. _Perhaps I had better investigate the catacombs, but where to enter? _He left the building and headed outside, expecting that it would take a long time to find these catacombs. He sweat-dropped a moment later, however, as he looked up at a poster advertising the place as a tourist attraction.

Wisely, he went at the last tour of the day. Ordinarily, this would mean that he would be in line with hundreds of other visitors, but today there were a scant few tourists waiting to get in. _Excellent…_ The dark spirit let his lighter host become aware while not losing his own consciousness. The small entrance area to the catacombs had the acrid smell of sweat, of a thousand raincoats, dog feces from various shoes, and of course, something not quite distinguishable. Whatever that element was, the spirit could determine what it was no better than his host could.

He followed the other tourists down a rather dizzying and narrow spiral staircase. The aroma became less and less, only to be replaced by another scent. This scent was one all too familiar to him. It was the mustiness of a tomb mixed with a slight tang of vinegar, the smell of limestone. The brochure he'd picked up about the catacombs told of the history of the limestone quarries that had built the ancient city of Lutetia, which eventually became Paris. In the 18th century, the cemeteries of Paris were overflowing rather like the sewers of the time. His host had unconsciously wrinkled his nose as he'd read the brochure's description of sewer and catacomb and the dark spirit had silently laughed. He'd smelled things that would make this young one vomit, sweat and scream for days on end.

He followed his fellow tourists off the staircase and into a stone passageway lit only by a few dim electrical lights. Memories of the smoky, oily smell of torches swam to the surface of the dark spirit's mind, though the only torches used for the past several years here were battery-powered. He followed the tunnels to what the brochure described as a man's model of a Paris fortress. _Rather interesting, but that is not my prize_, mused the spirit as his host looked on, enthralled.

The tour group moved on and arrived at the entrance of the old ossuary. Etched into the archway was the legend, written in French, "Halt! This is the Empire of Death." The dark spirit chuckled; was this actually supposed to frighten him? It took all his self-restraint not to take over his host and laugh out loud. The moment of dark amusement passed and the spirit followed his host into the dim dead empire.

The dark spirit began to concentrate as he passed mounds upon mounds of dry bones hidden behind artfully designed walls of bones. He drew upon the energy he'd gained at Stonehenge and his own dark power. He scanned for the energies that indicated dead that had gone to the grave with terror or anger within themselves. But like the bones and tunnels around him, all was silent. The spirits that had resided in these bones had moved on. _Another dead end_, the dark one grumbled, groaning at the bad pun he'd just made. And so he contented himself with examining the various tableaus of bones until the tour ended.

Y

The next stop on Bakura's itinerary was Italy. The boy was excited to finally see the sites that had such extraordinary history, the dark spirit mused, safe within his host's mind. The spirit grinned at the shadows of the empire long dead. _One of the Ring's carriers saw this empire rise. And another saw it fall,_ he thought with a smirk as his host snapped pictures of the Colosseum. Bakura raced all over Rome and his dark counterpart grew quickly tired of the boy's enthusiasm for all things light and joyful. This had to change, but not now. _Not when I need him happy. There has to be a place that is fascinating to him, but also a place for me to look for energy…_

The Colosseum, despite its connection to thousands engaged in death sports, didn't have the right energy that the dark spirit needed. _One would think these mortals would have been more frightened when they died, but no! They apparently had to be brave or insane! _The dark presence frowned in frustration yet again. _If that isn't a place to find the imprints of terrified souls,_ he mused as he and his host stared up at the famous frescoes of the Sistine Chapel, _where is one?_

Later that evening, Bakura sat in his hotel room reading the various brochures of where he might travel next in Italy. One brochure stood out to him, but he couldn't say why. "'See the ancient ruins of Pompeii…' I suppose I could," he murmured thoughtfully. Staying in Naples just might be pleasant. The food would be a bit different in that part of Italy, as would the scenery. _Pizza in the place where it was born sounds delicious,_ he mused as he snuggled down in bed, drifting off. The pictures of the coast would be beautiful…

Once his host was asleep, the dark spirit began to plan. His lighter half would be unaware of this, having only experienced a restful sleep. _These people died centuries ago, likely in terror,_ he thought with a smirk as he pored over various brochures and Internet websites about Pompeii and its sister city, Herculaneum. _This may be the right place, finally. And then I can work on the rest…_

Y

Two days and a three-hour train ride later, Bakura Ryou smiled as he stood in the warm sunlight at _Napoli Centrale_, Naples' main train station. His darker self smirked. _Let the fool smell the sea air and eat the pizza… I shall rather enjoy our trip to Pompeii._ The dark spirit settled into his host's mind, relaxing. No, not relaxing in the true sense of the word. Dark Bakura had learned long ago that true relaxation meant letting one's guard down and letting one's guard down could be deadly. _Perhaps not here, but I must remain vigilant,_ he thought, at least allowing himself to enjoy the ancient architecture around the city.

The dark spirit, not long after, found himself with a gaggle of tourists, examining the long-dead city of Pompeii. As he had done in France in the Empire of Death, he drew upon his abilities to sense the impressions of those who had died here. But unlike in the Paris catacombs, he could feel that these dead had left terror in their wake. Their souls did not remain here, but their terror did. _I can use that…_

Later that evening as the citizens of Naples either slept or enjoyed nighttime celebrations, a young man with white-blonde hair stole out of his hotel and to the ancient ruins. When he got there, the ancient spirit shared his lighter self's earlier surprise that the place wasn't heavily guarded, particularly at night. _Any tomb robber would have an easy time,_ Dark Bakura chuckled darkly. _This won't take long, and hopefully Yugi and his friends and that nosy Jedi mistress won't pick up on this…_ If they hadn't sensed Stonehenge, he might be safe. But that had been different. This would be dealing with forces beyond the here-and-now. _I must take the risk. It's the only way,_ he thought.

He climbed the steps into the ruins of the Basilica, a place where the people sought justice or the latest bargains. While it wasn't in the center of town, the Basilica was wide open. The dark spirit stretched out his arms. He could sense the fear and helpless rage of hundreds of people, trapped and overcome in seconds from extreme heat. Their lives had been cut short and they didn't know why it was. But what the people knew in their very last second was that they had been cheated of life. And so as they had journeyed onto the afterlife, their rage and pain had remained in the city where they perished.

He took a very deep breath and concentrated. There… an old man, angry with his wife. A little girl who wanted nothing better than to tell her mother off. A centurion and his young lover engaged in a petty squabble. So many people in ultimately stupid arguments, Dark Bakura thought. _But it means that I have something to draw upon…_ He opened his hands and raised them. All over the dark ruined city, small columns of light began to rise. An extremely sensitive person might even hear very subdued cries, though whether in sadness or anger, that person could not say definitively. But the dark young man could sense and hear them all. It would have been a cacophony to anyone else, but to him it was as beautiful as any well-planned symphony.

The columns of light became tendrils which stretched toward their medium. "Come to me, you dark shadows of those that have been. Aid me now! Give me your darkness, your hatred of that which you could not change! Strengthen me!" he called out as the wind picked up, carrying the tendrils toward him. Some eagerly drew toward him while others, if they truly had wills of their own, seemed to try pulling away. The first tendril made contact and at first, it felt like Dark Bakura was touching a live wire. It started out as a fiery shock, but turned to a strange warmth. "Yes, yes! Infuse me with your power! Come to me, dark energy!"

That first tendril seemed to encourage the others. Within seconds, the tendrils were whipping together and merging with the dark man on the Basilica ruins. It almost appeared as if he were being consumed by a white fire. But then tongues of what looked like purple flame came up from the center of the white and a human hand emerged, clenched. The body attached to it was engulfed in the apparent flames. And then the flames lowered in intensity, merely covering the white-haired teenager like a caftan. But the flames remained in his eyes, even as the flame caftan disappeared into his body. "I've done it," he whispered as the wind died down.

The dark power coursed through his mind and body as a powerful liquor might. It was heady, intoxicating and almost made him sink to his knees. Compared to this… his self-training would be child's play. And so he strode away from the ruins and back to the vehicle he had "borrowed" to get there. And later as he crawled into bed, the dark spirit allowed himself another smirk. The rest of the journey would be easier as well.

Y

And so, over the next month and a half, the dark presence within Bakura Ryou traveled throughout India and Asia, learning various mental disciplines to focus his possible Jedi-like talents. His first course of study was at a Buddhist temple not far from Mount Fujiyama. He had realized in Italy that the first step to being able to effectively control his abilities would be controlling his mind. He already had a decent measure of control; he only had to hone it. The monks had suggested, after a week of study, that their young visitor go for a walk in the woods…

The boulder in front of him bobbed and rose as easily as a feather might in a delicate wind. This was easy, compared to his attempt at lifting the Buddha statue at the monastery. He'd barely been able to lift the thing, but now… now he could probably throw the thing out of the compound! _Must be rather quick. I don't think the vaunted Jedi mistress was quite able to do that. As I recall, she could only slow that little Kaiba brat's fall, not stop him in mid-air. _The dark spirit chuckled again. _Perhaps I'll exceed them all. I will make that Pharaoh watch as I decimate his current world. I will make him suffer before I destroy him utterly…_ He set the boulder down at its place in Aokigahara Forest and strode back to the monastery.

Y

The dark spirit led his host to a temple in India where he quickly learned how to levitate himself. He was gone from the place in two days. And rather than go through Japan to get home, he chose a route back through Europe and the UK. His layover in London was going to be rather amusing….

And so it was. One evening in early August, a photographer for one of the UK's major newspapers was walking down a busy street in Notting Hill to buy a bun from his favorite bakery. It had been nearly six years since his photograph of a grieving father and son had given him a little fame in the UK. He'd felt such sympathy for the Ryou men as they laid flowers at the place where their loved ones had died and as the father had asked everyone to back off for his son's sake. Since that time, he and his wife had been blessed with two beautiful children and had wonderful jobs. As he walked along the road, he thought he saw that boy from six years past. And then he felt a horrible pain in his chest. He only had seconds to reflect why that boy's expression was so monstrous before blackness claimed him.

Dark Bakura walked on as screams of horror erupted from the crowd around the man who'd just crashed to the pavement, lifeless. _It begins… vengeance will be mine,_ the dark boy thought, smirking as the screams continued, mingled with the wails of women and an ambulance. But the man that died was not the first odd death that night.

Just outside a bar on Old Compton Street, a 50-year-old man held his head in clear agony. Just seconds before, he and his partner of 25 years had toasted their anniversary. But now, they would never celebrate another. The man collapsed and twitched, only to die an hour later from a cerebral hemorrhage.

At the London Pavilion, two more celebrated photographers were felled by sudden massive heart attacks. Autopsies later revealed that blood clots had formed in their arteries. All of these deaths happened over the course of two hours. And by the time the last ambulance had brought its lifeless passenger to a London morgue, a young man with dual citizenship in the US and UK was in the British Airways passenger's lounge, sipping an Arnold Palmer.

In another hour, he was on his way home. His host would learn of the deaths of those photographers, he mused, and be sad at the tragic loss of life. The dark spirit, now hiding within his host's mind, chuckled darkly. _He doesn't understand the way of the world. Someday, I shall cure him of that. He will understand that the world is cruel and dark and only those who are ruthless will survive. And it is the most ruthless that must rule. And so I will rule, and destroy all who oppose me._ He settled back deeply into his host's mind, content. For a time he drifted, but came back when he realized they were landing.

Predictably, his host's friends were waiting for him with big signs with colorful printed writing. _So predictable… what's this?_ The Jedi mistress and her husband were clearly no longer in a state of domestic bliss. _Perhaps I can…_ He stretched out his mind to touch theirs and sensed nothing but surface thoughts. Their mental shields were up. _No twisting possibilities there,_ he growled in frustration. But then, another possibility occurred to him and, had he been in control of his host's body, he would have allowed himself a dark smirk. _They will be distracted and she definitely will be._ The dark spirit chuckled darkly all the way home.

_And so ends the latest chapter of __**Jedi League**__. I thank my loyal fans for waiting this long for me to update. It took getting past a great many things, including research. I thank all the people who offered me advice on what the catacombs might smell like. Next time, a new sort of battle emerges for members of our team! Stay tuned and as always, please read and review! Thank you!_


	56. You've Lost That Loving Feeling

Chapter XLIX: You've Lost That Loving Feeling

_Welcome back, fans of the Jedi League. When I began work on this chapter about a year ago, I thought it would be a relatively short time between writing it out in a little journal and getting it to all of you. But as seems often to be the case with me now, real life is a continual distraction. That doesn't mean I've given up on my tales, though. So at last I bring you a new chapter._

_**The boring legalese:**__ Peach does not own the Yu-Gi-Oh franchise or its related characters. If she did, would she be writing fan fiction for the universe? Probably not. That doesn't mean she wouldn't write fan fiction, though. She also doesn't own the __**Star Wars**__ franchise which was created by George Lucas and now is owned by the Empi— er, Disney. Thank you._

**Warning:** _Intimacy which should remain safely in T territory._

_**Author's note**__: Parts of this chapter were written in the summer of 2012 as the author traveled through the American Midwest which included Missouri. And special thanks to 15animefreak15 for her help with one scene in this chapter. And thanks to my friends who consulted on this chapter._

The summer of 2005 was drawing quickly to a close in Domino City. It had been five months since the movie night and less than two weeks since Bakura had returned from his summer holiday. On the Thursday before Labor Day, as most students readied themselves for the upcoming school year, two young women sat in a coffee shop deep in conversation.

"So what happened the other night?" Lisa asked her coffee companion. "I know you two went out, but what I sensed made me wonder how it ended."

Mai's golden eyebrow raised as she sipped her iced latte. "Get your mind out of the gutter, hon. We went back to his house and watched a movie and… well, it didn't go too far. I'll be glad when he's eighteen."

"No holding back then?"

"No," Mai answered softly. "Once his eighteenth birthday rolls around, whatever happens happens. We've talked about it and we think that's the best option."

Lisa nodded. "You've got to do what's right for you, Mai. Joey's a good man and you two have been going out for two years."

"You're right," the older girl agreed, wisely deciding not to go on about how sweet Joey could be. "But what about you and Seto? He hasn't opened up yet, has he?" she asked, a slight furrow forming in her brow.

Lisa's bangs obscured her eyes as she leaned over the coffee cup now on the table. "No. Mai, ever since the movie night, he's been shutting me out other than his surface thoughts. I just have to wait it out and be there for him. I know what you're thinking," she continued after a brief pause, "but I can't give up on him. Seto might not want to talk about it now, but he will. And I'm not going to walk out on him because he won't talk about what's really… I'm not sure if it's pain or fear, but whatever it is, it's not worth destroying our marriage over."

The violet eyes met the blue ones. "You really mean that, Lisa. Where did you…?"

Lisa took a deep breath. "Mom and Dad have been on the phone with me a lot lately. They reminded me of when I was little and they had a lot of fights. Some of it was personal stuff that I frankly don't want to think about." Both girls grimaced at that line of thought anyway. "But some of it was things that Daddy hadn't worked out with his mom. She… disliked a lot of things about his marriage and still does. But for a long time, Dad wouldn't talk about it and it caused problems. When he and Mom finally did and went into counseling, things got much better. Dad was able to talk about it."

"Has your grandma ever apologized for that stuff?" One look at Lisa's expression told Mai the answer. "That's rough. Bet it makes things interesting for you, huh?"

"Yeah." Lisa sighed, resigned to the way things were with Grandma Hammond. "But all of it showed me you don't just give up on a marriage; you work to make it good. And I'll be here for him when he's ready."

"Whatever happens, hon, we'll all be behind you." Mai might've said more, but then the two young women both felt the warmth of unbridled joy going through their general link with the group. Their eyes met.

"Seto," Lisa murmured, a smile breaking on her face.

Y

Back at Kaiba Corp, Seto Kaiba stared at his computer screen, a light smirk on his lips. He had just received a much-anticipated email from Kaiba Corp's aerospace division. "It's built," he breathed, eyes sparkling with something he hadn't felt in months. "I can finally…"

"Big brother?!" Mokuba had raced in from his alcove room off of Seto's office, eyes wide. "Seto, what happened?" He opened a direct mind link with his sister-in-law that his brother could not sense.

"Mokuba, it's ready. The Blue Eyes jet I designed is ready to be tested. I've had this in development since before Duelist Kingdom and it's finally done! I can take it out for a test flight immediately."

The younger Kaiba brother reveled in his older brother's joy. He couldn't conceal his own bright grin. "Bro, you're really happy about this. When are you—?" But Seto had already gotten up from his desk and was heading to the executive washroom, taking off his tie as he went.

Y

Back at the coffee shop, Lisa's grin was nearly as big as her brother-in-law's. "His jet is ready. I know this wasn't what he was worried about, Mai, but…"

"If this snaps him out of it, you'll take it?" Mai asked wryly. The younger woman nodded joyfully.

_Lisa…_ Her head flew up at her husband's mental message. _Lisa, I'm taking my new jet out for a test flight in an hour. Once I'm sure it's safe, I'm going to take you out in it._ Her heart was pounding at what else she sensed from him, something she hadn't sensed in five months. _And you might want to wear that dress you wore at the Taylors' barbecue last week._

_ All right, honey. You really want me to wear _that_ dress?_

He chuckled. _Yes, that dress. You'll need it, babe. We're not going anywhere that you need something terribly fancy. Will you trust me, Lisa Angela Kaiba?_

She breathed and sent back, _Of course, honey. Let me know how it goes. Love you._ Seto broke communication. Lisa grinned at Mai. "He wants to take me out after he's made sure his new jet is safe."

"And why did you blush?" Mai asked.

"He wants me to wear that dress I wore to the Taylors' barbecue last week."

"But you got that at a big-box store!"

Lisa flushed deeper. "Yeah, I know. But he said we weren't going anywhere fancy. And I have no idea what he's planning. But Mai, what I'm sensing tells me I'm in for something good."

Mai grinned. "Then by all means, wear the dress, hon. Catch him again. Make him remember why he married you. And see if you can get that dark cloud away from him."

Lisa's eyes burned with determination. "I'll do my best. I want him back, Mai."

Y

_"Kaiba X-1, this is Domino Air Control, you are cleared for take-off. Do you copy?"_

Seto took a deep breath, his hands on the yoke of his latest aircraft. His heart was pounding, though his expression didn't waver from a very slight smirk. "Domino Air Control, this is Kaiba X-1, ready to take off. Over."

_"Use Runway Two, Kaiba X-1. Good flying to you, sir."_

"Thanks, Domino Air Control…"

There was a crackle and another voice came over his radio system. _"Kaiba X-1, this is Mokey Mokey. Safe flight, big brother."_

"Mokuba, I'll be back, little brother."

_"Roger, Kaiba X-1, over and out!"_

Seto took another deep breath as his craft taxied out to the runway. _Here we go_. He pulled the accelerator forward and pulled back on the yoke. He felt a giant's hand force him back in the seat as the plane shot forward, then upward. He glanced out the window and saw the world pull away from him. The feeling that had surged through him earlier did so again. It was heady, this feeling of joy he felt. It made him perhaps a little reckless and that is perhaps what led him to turn his plane northward to San Jose.

Max Pegasus was sitting in his office at the top of the Industrial Illusions building when he too sensed Seto's bursts of joy. He also caught the unmistakable whiff of adolescent mischief which, he reflected, was not something Seto engaged in too often. Max smiled to himself and opened his desk drawer.

Seto, meanwhile, grinned wolfishly as the Industrial Illusions tower came into view. _Gotcha, Max,_ he thought as he drew closer. Feeling his fellow CEO's terror give way to laughter was going to be quite sweet. At least fifty people were already at their windows, looking on dumbfounded. But one person on the top floor was smirking. He was clad in a navy blue suit and red mock turtleneck shirt and his left eye was covered with a Funny Bunny eye patch. He smiled and waved. It was only then, as Seto buzzed the building, that he noticed Max was wearing ear plugs.

_No, Seto boy, I've got you! _Max stuck out his tongue as his would-be prankster stared. Seto sighed and turned the plane away from the building. Adding insult to injury, Seto heard his brother's mental laughter.

_Mokuba, were you in on this? How did he know?_ Seto sent.

_I wasn't in on it, bro, and he probably knew because you were broadcasting to all of us._

Seto groaned. His brother was right. _I believe you, kid, and I should've thought about that. Anyway, how would you like to spend tomorrow night at someone's house?_

Back at Domino Park, Mokuba had been playing soccer with Yugi, Joey, Tristan and Duke. Bryce was guarding on the sidelines, glad again that his young principal was able to run so well. The boy stopped in the middle of the field, signaling a timeout to the others. _Seto, you haven't asked me if I wanted to sleep over somewhere in a long time. What's going on?_

_ I need to spend some quality time with my wife, little brother and I need to spend it with her… alone. _Mokuba understood what that meant, so Seto continued. _I'm going to take her out in the Blue Eyes Jet now that I know it's safe for both of you to be in. We'll be out late and I think you'll be happier with someone. Who's with you?_ Mokuba told him.

_We'll have a group sleepover at my place, Seto, if that's all right, _Joey sent.

_All right, Joey. Thank you. And please make certain my brother is asleep at a decent hour._

Joey started at Seto's formal, tight tone. Then again, he reflected, Rich Boy had been pulling in. _You've got it. _Seto closed communications and the tall blonde boy grinned. "Well, guys, we've got to pick treats for tomorrow!"

"I want pizza!" Mokuba called out first.

Y

"So where are you taking me, honey?" Lisa asked the next afternoon as she and Seto flew eastward.

"That's for me to know, Leese, and you to find out," he answered. "Can't I surprise you after having been so predictable for a few months?"

"No law against that," she grinned. While he hadn't let her know what was bothering him, she had sensed his regret at hurting her. She also caught that he had taken a great deal of care in planning this excursion. _I'm going to enjoy this._

The plane slowed down. "Dropping out of supersonic," Seto said, quickly getting in contact with the local authorities. "Lisa, we're almost there. Take a look out the window," he added when he'd finished.

Her eyes widened. "Are we in Missouri, Seto?"

"You recognized it, huh?"

"Yeah, that's Branson's Landing and I see the neon signs and billboards," she said, pointing toward the landmark. "But why are we landing in the mountains?" Seto had put the Blue Eyes Jet in hover and was setting it down in a clearing.

"You'll see, babe," he answered, strengthening his mental shields. He opened the hatch, extended the ladders and got out. Lisa followed easily. Once she was on the ground, he took her hand, leading her to a copse of trees. "Look there," he said, pointing to a particularly large oak tree.

Lisa's eyes went to the base of the tree. "A picnic basket. Seto, that's a big one," she said, stunned. She knelt down and opened it up. Sure, this was a bit clichéd, but she knew it came from his heart. And she had to admit, she liked this particular cliché. Yes, there was a big blanket, two champagne flutes and a bottle of… sparkling apple cider. "What, no champagne?" she teased.

"Lisa, I might be the CEO of a multinational corporation, but I still can't buy alcohol."

"Good point." And then the smell of hickory smoke tempted her nose. "You got barbecue," she said, turning to meet his gaze.

"Yeah, there's a nice place not too far from here that was willing to help me out for this," he answered, kneeling beside her and pulling out the blanket for them to sit on. He had her sit on the blanket as he placed the glasses, drink and barbecue supper before her. And then he dragged out another blanket. "We have all the time we want tonight, babe, so relax and enjoy."

"You, relaxing?" she asked, her lips quirking up.

To her surprise, he actually smiled. "Guess I had that coming. But yes, we're going to relax tonight. Mokuba got to have a sleepover at the Wheelers', and Joey has been informed that he will get my brother to bed at a decent hour." An edge crept into his voice again and she frowned.

"Seto, it'll be okay." She had to restrain herself from saying more as it might've started a fight. _I've done too much of that lately,_ she reflected as she took a sip of her sparkling cider. _This isn't worth fighting about, anyway. Mokuba does need to sleep since school starts Tuesday._

Seto noticed that. "You didn't say anything else. What's the occasion?"

"I don't want us to fight over little things like we've been doing," she sighed.

"It isn't good," he agreed. "Lisa… I know I've been distant lately and I know it's not easy for you."

Her eyes softened. "It's not, but I knew you'd be difficult when I fell for you. Shall we agree to work on it?"

He could tell she was in a much better mood than she had been in some time, so he put his arm around her, taking his own glass of cider. "Sounds good to me." They each took another sip from their glasses, then set them down.

Seto pulled her into a gentle hug. For a long moment, that was all they needed from each other. For five months, even gentle hugs had been hard to come by. This felt right. When they pulled back, he noticed she was smiling. "That felt good," she murmured.

His face softened. "Can I try something else?" She nodded and he tilted her face up, moving to kiss her lips. She melted into it and into his arms. When they broke apart again, he moved the dinner back into the basket and wisely grabbed the second blanket to place over them. They kissed again and for a while knew nothing but the feel of each other, blankets above and below them and the late summer breeze.

Afterward, they sat back up and Seto got the dinner back out. "We haven't worked up an appetite that way in some time," he observed, feeling strangely energized. He took a piece of barbecued chicken from one of the boxes and took a bite.

Lisa, for her part, took one of the barbecued beef ribs. "Yeah, it's been quite a while. I missed it… and you." She stripped the meat from the bone, wiped her hands and face free of sauce and lay back down on the blanket. "Thank you, honey."

"Are you okay, Leese?" he asked, glad he'd decided to do this. Her eyes were closed now and her white-blonde hair fanned out behind her head like a halo. "Are you tired?"

Her eyes opened a fraction. "Maybe a little, but I'm not ready to go quite yet. It's so nice here. But perhaps next time we're here, we could see a show."

Her shields were raised so he couldn't tell if she was kidding or not. "Which one?"

"Mmm… I want to see Yakov."

He tried to read her again; she had dropped her shields. "Yakov? You're serious." _Crap._ "All right, all right, we'll see Yakov next time."

"Thanks, honey. Is there anything else on the itinerary this evening?" she asked.

"When we get home, Marie will have molten chocolate cake waiting for us. But I think I'd like a shower… or a long bath first." While he knew Lisa enjoyed long baths, he had also become uncomfortably aware that the shorts and t-shirt he was wearing were sticking to him a bit. He could feel the sweat glazing his body. Lisa was faring no better after their exertions.

"A bath would be lovely," she answered softly, a drip of sweat rolling down her neck. "You haven't suggested that in a while either."

"No, I haven't." He kissed her again, but they did not succumb again to what they had earlier. They gathered the ruins of their dinner and the blankets into the basket. Seto helped his wife back into the plane, loaded the basket and climbed into the cockpit himself. A few moments later, they were on course for Domino. "Are you okay back there, Leese?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, Seto. Thank you for taking me out," she said. "She's really lovely. How long did it take you to plan and build this, again?"

"Since the Year of Hell," he answered, keeping his eyes on the instruments. "I needed to design something that was for me. _**He**_ always told me to design things made to kill. Even my virtual gaming system… _**he**_ found a way to make it a way to train soldiers." He took a deep breath. "He tried to take credit, but died before he could. But still it bugged me that he only looked at what I made as weapons. But I started designing this in my room after Mokuba gave me that drawing. I hid the plans so Gozaburo wouldn't find them. And after he was gone, I took the plans to the aerospace division. They said it was doable. And yesterday…"

"Yesterday, you found it was," she finished.

He nodded. "Yeah. Next I've got to take Mokuba up in this."

"Probably a good idea," she agreed. They flew the rest of the way home in silence.

When the plane landed, the couple got out and headed to a waiting limo. They were both hot, sweaty and eager for their bathroom. "You've got a grass blade in your hair," he remarked, taking it out. "No, you have quite a few in your hair. I'll have to wash it."

"Seto, I… oh… well, of course you may wash my hair." She had been about to argue that she could do it, but had sensed the pleasure he was planning to get from it.

"Good." They arrived home to the mansion and he walked her inside. "Good, Marie did as I instructed."

He had raised his shields again, she noted. "Oh?"

"You'll see." He led her into the blue sitting room where two molten chocolate cakes waited on the table. He helped her into her seat and then sat across from her. "You know she'd usually bring these in once we were seated. I arranged for the staff to leave us alone this evening."

Her eyebrows raised. Seto didn't do this too often, but when he did… "Thanks, honey. I guess it's a good thing Mokuba's away for the evening, right?"

"You might say that," he murmured, taking a bite of his cake. They ate in silence, enjoying their shared intimate solitude. When they finished, he carried their plates to the kitchen and guided her up to their bedroom. "I had Tzipporah draw the bath while we were eating, Lisa. Is it all right?"

She nodded, smiling. "Are you trying to recreate our honeymoon?"

Seto shook his head, face serious. "Not exactly. It's more along the lines of recreating the atmosphere and results, Leese. I'd say we're long overdue for another 'honeymoon.'"

Without another word, they disrobed and went into the bathroom. The only communication over the next two hours took place through touch and in the mind. When it was over, the couple lay in their bed, Lisa sleeping soundly.

_Why did I fight this? _Seto wondered as he watched his wife sleep, curled beside him. _I've shut her out for five months._ He shook his head, lying back down. He would tell her his fears and all that was troubling him, he resolved.

Y

The dark shadows lengthened across a non-descript area in Domino. Seto heard his own steps echoing off the walls of different buildings. _Where am I_? The whole place seemed… off somehow. But this was Domino, he was certain of that. It was just that it didn't seem like the city he'd grown up in. It was alien and cold, almost shying away from him. He walked on, and the echoes died away.

The forest… no, not a forest. It was a park, long since abandoned by the city, left to its own devices. A rusted gate sang a mournful, yet terrifying melody to the single human now going past it. The skeletal branches of oaks pushed through the canopy of sickly pines, reaching up for the dark gray sky. Seto kept walking, his hand drifting to his lightsaber. He could sense the darkness pressing in on him, trying to pull him in. _No, that's not happening! I won't let it consume me! _He strode on. But why couldn't he sense Lisa or Mokuba?

The broken concrete path led to a wide clearing. Where bright playground equipment should have been was a collection of broken, rusted metal things. One broken thing was recognizable as a swing set. Seto moved closer and his heart went into his throat. A small figure with raven hair was facedown in the unforgiving pebbles. His blue school uniform contrasted with his bloodless hand clasped around the metal cylinder his brother had built for him. But Mokuba Richard Kaiba was most assuredly dead. Seto didn't dare go toward the body now.

_I… how did this happen?_ His mind screamed in agony. His brother shouldn't be… _Lisa! Where is she?_ He hurtled down the path, his lungs burning. When he stopped, it was at a group of slides. Lisa was on the ground, seemingly leaning against an old concrete slide shaped like an elephant. "Lisa?" he called to her. "Leese?" His heart seemed to still in his chest. Her face, like his brother's hand, was bloodless and her eyes were closed. But Seto could see that her last moments had been spent in agony, judging by the blood on the ground. Her lightsaber lay near her, extinguished and her belly was round. _She was… __**Not again!**_ His mind howled again. He'd failed to save her again and his eyes burned.

He just managed to sense and dodge as the buzz of a red lightsaber blade came over where his head had been. He ignited his own and blocked the attack in a shower of sparks. The figure that stood next to him was hooded, yet somehow familiar. Seto dodged and spun away, trying to gain some sort of advantage. Unfortunately, the monster that had killed his wife and brother wasn't going to allow it. His hood had come off and Seto beheld the face of their killer. "You're dead," he growled at the demon.

"Am I, Seto?" Gozaburo asked coldly, his gray eyes like the sky above. "I'm here, aren't I? You can't escape me. You may have become like me, but you will never be good enough. Look at who you failed." His visage twisted into something hideous, a red creature of dark energy. Seto felt the world around him growing… no, he was shrinking back to the child he'd been when Gozaburo had taken his own life. "And you're still weak. You couldn't take my place in my company. Hell, you barely defeated those board idiots even with help! And now, you fumble with powers you can't even understand!"

"I'm nothing like you, not anymore! Nobody loved you like they loved me!" he shouted at his adoptive father, barely holding onto his own saber.

"You protect what you love and yet you didn't protect them. Mokuba ran; I cut him down just as he reached that little toy you made for him," the monster smirked. "Your wife lasted longer. She was protecting herself and those little things inside her; you should have heard her plead when I started to…"

Seto charged without thought and then felt fire in his midsection. And then he heard the shush as his now-human adoptive father deactivated his own blood-red blade. "You were always a fool, boy. And now you die with them as the failure you always were." And the CEO and Jedi teen boy felt the world spin away from him. He had failed again…

Y

Seto awoke, the sound of his heart pounding echoing in his ears. He glanced over at Lisa, assuring himself that she hadn't awakened and that she was still alive. _It was just a nightmare,_ he thought. _And my shields stayed up._ He slid out of the bed and padded out of the bedroom. Remembering what his wife had taught him, he used his senses to feel his sleeping brother's presence. Mokuba's mind was calm, locked in a dream about giant dancing Sword Stalkers. _Glad you're safe, little brother._ Seto smiled and went back to bed, not disturbing his wife as he climbed in.

_You will fail them_, a dark voice repeated.

_I'm nothing like you and I won't!_

_ Who are you talking to? There's no one here but you,_ the voice informed him.

_Then who am I arguing with?_

_This is the part of you that sees what you truly are. You know you've failed them and you know you will again. And you'll end up just like the one you thought I was. Not sure you'll actually have the guts to end it like him…_

_**Shut up! Shut up shut up shut up!**__ I won't end up like either of them! I'm not weak, I'm not a failure, and I'm not a loser. I've lost games, but that doesn't mean…_

_ You're still a failure._ Seto happened to be gazing over at his wife when the inner dark voice said it.

By some trick of the light, Lisa's skin seemed blue, as if she had… _I won't fail her. She will survive, _Seto told the dark voice. _And you won't control me. _He blinked again, and Lisa's skin was still pale but normal for the living. _Just my imagination,_ he chided himself. _But I will not fail them. I will become best in the world again when it comes to dueling. I've got to do that for me. _Seto could hear his darker voice chuckling, but lay back down, managing to fall asleep.

Y

Tuesday morning arrived all too soon for the school children of the Domino Unified School District. Some looked forward to the start of school. "Mum, can't I go to kindergarten?" four-year-old Bastion Misawa asked his mother as she helped him into his shorts and t-shirt.

"Bastion, you have one more year of preschool at Davida Dyson, and then you can go to kindergarten," Katai sighed. She loved her brilliant child but wished he wasn't in such a hurry to grow up.

Elsewhere in Domino, Joey Wheeler awoke and glared at the clock. _Dang it. Why can't I have one more week of summer?_ The floor was warm, but his bed was warmer. _Maybe one more minute…_

"Joey, honey, it's time to get up!" Liz called. "It's the start of senior year!"

_Ugh. _"Can't I have five more minutes, Ma?" he called back.

"No, Joseph. Out of bed!" she answered, laughing a little. "Besides, I'm making breakfast this morning. I doubt you want to be late for that!" He might have disagreed with his mother, but then he smelled the delectable odor of cinnamon. That meant she'd made crumb cake! He bounded out of bed, raced to the bathroom and had his nicely pressed uniform on in less than fifteen minutes. "I think I should make crumb cake for breakfast more often," Liz remarked as her son and daughter sat down.

"No, Mom, it would lose its effect," Serenity smiled, taking a slice of crumb cake as her brother started in on his breakfast.

"Good point, honey."

Similar scenes played out all over the city. In the Kaiba household, Seto tugged his uniform on, buttoning the jacket carefully. _Last time for the first day of school like this, _he reflected as he looked in the walk-in closet mirror. He knew that two bento boxes waited on the kitchen table for him and Mokuba, courtesy of Lisa (under Marie's careful guidance).

"Big bro?" Mokuba called from the door.

"Hey, kid. All ready?" Seto asked, bending slightly to his brother's level.

"Not yet. I've got a tangle," the boy groaned, a brush stuck in the middle of his long dark hair. Seto, used to this, started to work through the tangle. "How'd you learn to do that, Seto?"

The older brother sighed, smiling a little. "When Mom was expecting you, she had a hard time brushing her hair at the back. Dad wasn't home in the mornings before school sometimes, so Mom asked me to help her." He got the tangle out and kept brushing. "You really do look a lot like her, Mokie."

Mokuba smiled at that. "Wish she was here to see us today. But maybe Mom's keeping an eye out for us. So anything I should know now that we're seniors?"

"Not too much. But..." Seto took a breath. "Little brother, I'm proud of you. You're eleven and in your senior year of high school. You're also…"

Mokuba raised his hand for silence. "Big brother?"

"Yeah?"

"I think you need to save that for when we graduate." It's not that Mokuba didn't want to hear what his brother said; he just didn't want Seto getting mushy before school. Lisa got mushy, sure, but it wasn't quite as… disconcerting, the younger Kaiba decided. _Besides,_ he sent to his brother, _I know you're proud of me._

Seto didn't respond to his brother's mental observation. Instead, he pondered behind his shields. _He's not a little kid anymore. I held him when he wasn't even an hour old and now he's eleven. He's going to be a good man, in spite of my screw-ups with him. He fights for what he believes in; he's kind and smart too. I know he's not going to be all grown up after this year, but he's going to be pretty close. Crap, I can send him to college!_ That thought gave him real pause. _Okay, he's going to Domino U where Leese and I can keep an eye on him!_

"Seto, I think we need breakfast," Mokuba said, shaking his brother out of his thoughts.

"Good point, kid."

Y

"…And so, seniors, we look forward to one last year in which to prepare you for the world, wherever you may go. Some of you will enter the workforce for the first time while others will go straight to college. Whatever your path, we will help you in achieving your goals. Now let's get to class and get to work," Mr. Darby concluded his beginning of the year speech to the student body.

Team YSJM got up and stretched. "I hate long assemblies," Yugi groaned quietly, rubbing theatrically at his eyes.

"I'd rather sit through a hundred board meetings without my video games," Mokuba added as Seto simply got up and strode out of the gymnasium. At the looks of the rest of the gang, the boy sighed. "Sorry, guys. I think he's upset again."

Joey's face contorted. "Ah, why the heck does he have to be like that?! He's back to bein' a... what the heck's wrong with him?" The blonde boy hated that Seto was freezing his friends and his family out. He raised his mental shields, but judging by his friends' expressions, he hadn't done it fast enough. His face went brick red and hoped Mokuba wasn't too upset.

Mokuba, however, sighed. "He's a lot like he was before Kemo hurt me. Before he let you guys in. And you're right, Joey, he is being a… butthead." Again, the blonde boy flushed, reflecting that it was a good thing Mr. Darby didn't have Jedi abilities. Otherwise, he might give Joey detention for a month for his language.

The rest of the school day was largely spent getting syllabi, new books and new uniform sets. When the day was over, Seto headed straight to his office. Yugi and the gang looked at his retreating back in sadness. "What do we do?" he murmured.

It was Joey that said it. "I've learned you don't give up on your friends, even when they're bein' jerks. So we've just got to wait it out and see if he comes around, right?"

"Yeah," Teá agreed, trying in vain to get more than a surface read out of Seto. But his mental shields were stronger than anyone else in the group of Jedi teens. No one could break through them. "I guess we don't have a choice."

"Are we going to practice this evening?" Tristan wondered.

"Yeah, at my place," Joey answered. "And Ma's making Grandma Francesca's pizza and some ossobuco!"

Y

A few hours later, the gang stood in Joey and Serenity's backyard, full of Liz's wonderful cooking. "All right, guys," Tristan said, "you remember what we talked about at our last practice."

"Yeah, no projectiles near windows, Joey," Mai reminded her boyfriend, teasing. He cringed, remembering shattered glass and a rather frustrated Roland, directing the clean-up before Seto got home from the office. But the blonde boy quickly grinned again.

"Can't we try water balloons?" he asked, surreptitiously levitating one near his intended victim.

"Sure, I don't see why— _**hey!**_" Tristan suddenly felt wetness running down his hair, face and back, while a broken water balloon hung on his hair point. "You were just waiting for that, weren't you?"

"Yup." Tristan got the remnants of the balloon off his head and deliberately didn't look at his best friend for a long moment. Glancing at Serenity attempting to conceal her amusement was enough to tell him to unclench his fists. The hazel-eyed boy directed everyone in their calming exercises. _Joey is going to get a surprise later. _Not long after, they began working on various defensive and offensive techniques.

Teá knelt away from the group, setting a small firework on the ground. Before the Fourth of July, Teá and her parents had gone to Nevada and onto one of the local Native American reservations. Ben Gardner had wanted to show his daughter a truly fun Independence Day by getting fireworks that were less than "safe and sane." And then someone in the testing range had lost control of a ground flower that headed dangerously close to one of the stands.

Without thinking about it, the Jedi girl had summoned a small force field around the errant firework. The firework smothered and died and the stand owners had been very grateful. Consequently, Teá had returned to Domino with a small arsenal to practice with. And now she took a deep breath as the fuse burned down. Before the spark could ignite the firework, something like a soap bubble but as strong as steel surrounded it. As the pyrotechnic blew, the bubble stayed in place. "_**Yes!**_" the girl whooped as the miniscule debris impacted and sank to the ground beneath the shield. She released the shield, grinning triumphantly.

Tristan grinned as well as he trotted over to her. "Is that getting easier?"

"Yeah," she answered. "This time, the field held better. I just visualized the field a little bit stronger this time."

The tall boy nodded. "It worked. Teá, I think you've got more telekinetic talent than we realized."

She looked thoughtful for a long moment. "I did stop that bag thief last Christmas," she mused. With the same power she had invoked to stop Lisa from slashing a wrist, Teá had caught a man snatching a messenger bag off the back of another man's chair at the mall. She'd held him until the police arrived.

"Yeah, you did. And that guy was a serial bag snatcher. And now, you might be able to help the bomb squad!"

"I hope that doesn't have to happen, but it doesn't hurt to practice," Tea answered as she set up two more fireworks.

About sixty feet away, Mai took a deep breath. _You can do this,_ she thought, feeling the slight wind against her face as she broke into a run. In June, she had quite literally flown to the rescue of a kitten in a tree. The rescue had been very easy, and the owner very grateful. Now, Mai concentrated upon making herself rise as she leapt into the air. She closed her eyes, felt the wind blow by her and opened her eyes. She could see her friends just a few feet below her, practicing. "I did it!" she whooped as she flew around the yard and landed neatly on both feet next to Joey.

"Yeah, you did!" he grinned at her. "Mai, that was amazin'!" He pulled her into a hug and twirled her around for one moment. "Wonder what my talent is," he muttered as he set her down.

"It just hasn't come yet," she sighed, sitting down on the grass and stretching.

"Lisa's guess was that we all have something special in us. It might come through practice or when we really need it. You helped that lady get her cat out of that tree and now you can fly!"

"Yeah. Serenity can use her powers to sense an opponent coming at her…" Serenity, a few feet away, had Duke in a headlock. "And she can navigate around the city without help."

Joey grinned wickedly at Duke crashing to the ground when his little sister let go of her prey. "Yeah. And if anybody tries to get fresh with her, she can take of herself!"

Mai nodded in agreement and stood up, taking a few steps away from her beloved. "That's a good thing, Joey. You can't protect her forever."

"Yeah. I've gotta trust her." And then, he felt the cascade of water down his body. After the deluge concluded… "_**Tristan!"**_

"Didn't see that coming, did you?" Tristan smirked, taking the levitating bucket into his hands.

"I should've," the blonde boy groaned, pulling his sopping bangs out of his eyes.

"Sorry I'm late, guys," Lisa called as she came through the gate and her brother-in-law raced up to her for a hug. "Things ran late at the hospital. How's practice going?" Mai quickly demonstrated her newfound ability. "Whoa. Guys, I have to say we are now in uncharted territory."

"So you really don't know how far we can go with our powers, big sister?" Mokuba asked.

"I wish I did," she answered. "All we can do is explore and guess. Joey, why are you all wet?"

The blonde boy grinned sheepishly. "I, uh, sorta pranked Tristan and he got me back for it."

"Levitation was involved?"

"Yup," the pranksters answered.

Tristan sighed, laughing a bit. "I should've seen Joey's prank coming. Oh well, it's been hot today."

"I remember hot high school classrooms," Lisa groaned. "The public schools in the Seattle area didn't invest in cooling systems. Sticky plastic seats… need I say more?" Several heads shook and the Jedi doctor chuckled as she started into her own calming exercises.

Y

"Did you have a good day at school?" Lisa asked at nine PM as she and Mokuba left the Wheeler residence. "And did you get your homework done?"

"Yes, Lisa, I did, both." Mokuba grinned. "I'm actually looking forward to my senior project. Did you have to do one?"

"It wasn't a requirement when I was in school," she admitted. "I'm kind of glad it wasn't, though. I mean, I was five!"

Mokuba nodded. "And you wanted to play too, right?"

She giggled at that. "Oh yeah. Mom insisted that I have regular playtime, even if it was just with Eddie. He actually didn't mind me using the video camera to immortalize my stuffed animal plays."

"Stuffed animal plays?" Mokuba's face twisted. "You made him do that?"

"Actually, he was pretty cool with it. Eddie did comedic takes with my toys and then did what I wanted. And then he tried teaching me to do more athletic things, but it didn't turn out well."

"So is Seto going to be home when we get there?" he asked, not wanting his sister-in-law to recount Lisa's Most Painful Injuries that Bore Me to Sleep.

Lisa frowned. "I don't know, Mokuba. I thought he'd show up to our session tonight."

"So he didn't call you either, huh?"

"Nope," she groaned. "Any idea what he's doing?"

The little boy thought for a moment. "He's been in the lab, probably working on the new duel disk systems. He said something about it needing to be perfect."

"Okay then, if your work is done, you and I can have some ice cream sundaes after we get ready for bed. Marie is off tonight, so we're on our own." Lisa gave her brother-in-law a smile and he smiled back. Inwardly, however, she hated the idea of her husband coming home long after she and Mokuba had gone to bed. _There's nothing I can do about it, though. But at least we had the weekend._

Seto arrived home well after midnight. "Bryce?" he whispered as he made it to Mokuba's bedroom.

"He went to bed after ten, sir. He tried to stay up, but after practice at the Wheeler family's house, he was pretty tired. Lisa is asleep as well. She fell asleep sometime after eleven. She has a mid-morning shift at the hospital."

Seto nodded curtly. "Thank you, Bryce. You can go for the night. Roland is off-duty as well."

"Thank you, sir. Good night." Bryce bowed slightly and left.

The young man headed quietly into the bedroom. Lisa was already sound asleep, curled up on her side of the bed. Seto quickly went into the bathroom, took a shower and got his pajamas on. He tiptoed back into the bedroom and to the bed. His wife was still sound asleep, dreaming of… _I guess Friday night was something she very much enjoyed,_ he mused. _Though I don't think it was like the cover of a grocery store romance novel._ He pulled himself away from her dreams and got into bed. He fell asleep almost immediately.

Y

"Are you feeling all right, Lisa?" Darla Truesdale asked at lunch a few weeks later. Lisa was picking at her chicken Caesar salad, frowning.

"It's my anniversary, Darla, and I had something special planned tonight," the seventeen-year-old sighed. "I was going to make a good dinner for the two of us…"

"And he's got a meeting again?" Darla absently pushed her spectacles firmly onto her nose and frowned in concern. "What is he so busy with?"

Lisa had caught the thought from her friend. "Not what you're worried about. He's been working on a new project involving some new dueling equipment. I can't talk much about it yet."

"I understand, and I'm sorry if I implied anything, honey," Darla apologized.

Lisa nodded, smiling a little. "It's not a farfetched concern since we're so young, but that's not it." Her expression sobered again and her eyes smarted. "Darla, he's pulling in. And… I'm worried he's starting to obsess again. Dueling is something he's enjoyed and had fun with. Now it's all becoming serious to him again. I just wish he'd talk to me!"

"Lisa," Darla murmured, "honey…" She could see that her friend was starting to lose emotional control and rose. "Let's go somewhere quieter, okay?"

"O-okay," the white-blonde woman murmured, allowing herself to be led from the cafeteria. Bryce, on the Kaiba wife's detail today, followed.

"I had to get you in here," Darla said as she and Lisa entered the crash room down the hall and sat down on a couch. "I know tabloids have been here before and the last thing you three need right now is a shot of you miserable. Oh man, Lisa…"

The young woman hugged her friend in response and started to cry. When she let go, her face was a swollen, blotchy mess. "Darla, two years ago today I was so happy. Now, I feel like he's falling back into that dark place he was in when I first met him."

The blue-haired woman handed her friend tissues and thought for a long moment. "I'm not going to tell you to leave him or to stay with him. You have to decide that for yourself. In fact, I don't think you'd want to hear either, am I right?" When Lisa nodded, she continued, "Whatever you decide to do, Scout, Hiro, Jayda and I are here for you. And I know your friends are there too. Will you be okay?"

"Yeah," Lisa answered, wiping her eyes. "Do I need a compress or anything?"

"Just for a little while. Do you have any appointments?"

"Not until three."

"Okay. Just take a little time and your eyes should be all right."

"Thanks, Darla," Lisa said as she gave her fellow doctor a big hug. "I'll be okay."

"Just take it easy tonight. Call him and talk to him." With a slightly sad smile, the older doctor left.

Lisa glanced at the clock and took another deep breath. She got a cold compress from the crash room freezer and lay down on the couch. _Please let him talk to me and help me be calm, whatever happens,_ she prayed.

Y

Later that night, Seto Kaiba sat at his desk as the last of the members of the two companies he was working with filed out of his office. It was eight PM and he still had a lot of work to do. _And what was I doing two years ago tonight? Oh yeah…_ He clicked open the locket around his neck. His wife and brother stared back at him, happy despite Mokuba being in a hospital bed. _Would I change this part of my life? No. I guess I'll have to call Lisa before she goes to bed._

Seto was startled out of his reverie when his office line rang. "Mr. Kaiba, your wife is on line one," Elizabeth Wheeler's voice came over the intercom.

"Thanks, Elizabeth, and go on home after you've transferred the call."

"Thank you, sir," she answered. "Good night, sir."

Seto tapped the button on his phone allowing the call to go through. "Hello?"

"Hey, honey," Lisa greeted on the other end of the line. He reached out with his mind to sense her and caught love and a whiff of… fear? "Liz said your meeting was finished. How did it go?"

"It went all right. HanCo and Spitzer Incorporated are providing the necessary last components for the duel disk project and at a very decent price. I've got an overseas company making the boxes, but everything else is going to be made in this country."

"That's good. Any chance you'll be home soon?"

He sighed. "Sorry, Lisa. I've got another three hours of work yet. I won't push that. Are you okay?" The whiff of fear was getting stronger.

"Seto, I wanted to tell you something over dinner tonight, but you've been working so much, I guess I have to tell you on the phone."

Seto scanned her again, but she had raised her shields to block even his surface probes. "I can't sense you now," he said matter-of-factly.

"I know you could sense I'm nervous about this and I don't want you to find out before I tell you." She took a deep breath. "Seto, I had Darla check me a couple of days ago, but… it looks like we're…"

"We're what?" And then it hit him like a rampaging Battle Ox. "Leese, are you pregnant?"

A sharp intake of breath. "You figured it out."

"Yeah, because Darla's your OB/GYN. So… when…? Wait. That night, wasn't it?"

"That's what Darla thinks. Seto, are you okay?" On the other end of the phone, she'd sensed a shadow of happiness coupled with… worry?

He had let his shields drop slightly for a moment. But he raised them again quickly. "Yeah, I'm fine. Lisa, I'm glad. Just be careful. And I'm upping security around you and Mokuba."

"Seto," she began and then stopped. This would only start a fight. She took a deep breath and started again. "All right, honey. So you'll be home after you're done?"

"Yeah. I should be home about 11:30. Don't stay up waiting for me, though. You need to rest."

"All right, Seto. Love you."

"You too," he answered and hung up. He began to work. _I'm going to be a father, and this time, the baby will see the world it was meant to see. I won't fail this one!_ But in the darkened office that had once been Gozaburo's, Seto's heart began to race. The shadows seemed to stretch toward him, like a demon's claws. He concentrated on his breathing, only to take it in when an all-too-familiar electric shush rang through the room. His hand grasped the pommel of his lightsaber only to realize that a fluorescent light had come on. It took another minute before his heart stopped hammering. _You're being an idiot, Seto_, he scolded himself. _There's nothing in this office for you to get creeped out by. So get your damn work done!_

The teen CEO sat back down and kept working. An hour passed and then two. At ten thirty, he got up and stretched. _I'm almost done here._ He strode around the office and started as he saw two bright red pinpricks staring at him from across the large room. And then his computer buzzed, indicating that he had received an email. He strode back to his desk and clicked on his email program. _From NKaiba1987… "I'm watching you, Seto…"_ The CEO's hand shook slightly. _Who is this creep?! _He bolted up, looking for the source of the glowing red eyes.

_Whatever that is would have to be in the copy area. _He stretched out his mind. Nothing was there. _But what if…?_ Sure, it was stupid to head toward the danger, but darn it, he would not call for help. He strode into the copy room, prepared for almost anything. _Where…? You've got to be kidding me!_ If looks could disintegrate, the two printers with red error lights would be hot piles of ash. Seto stalked back to his desk and finished up his work. A quick glance at his watch told him he would get home a half-hour early.

"Sir, are you all right?" Roland asked as he and Seto got into the limo at ten minutes to eleven.

"Just a little tired, Roland. I've got to track down NKaiba1987," Seto answered, a crease developing on his forehead. "And I have to get home. It is my second wedding anniversary and my wife has just told me she's expecting."

"She hasn't been so sick this time, I've noticed," the security man observed.

"I guess I hadn't noticed," the young CEO admitted, the crease becoming more pronounced. "Did Bryce say if she was still awake?"

"He didn't, sir." The rest of the ride was silent.

When Seto finally arrived in his bedroom, he found his wife sound asleep, hugging one of the pillows. When he looked closer, he saw the puffiness around her eyes and the shiny trails on her cheeks. _She cried herself to sleep. That's not what I wanted!_ He scowled and then noticed a folded white card with a Della Reese rose on his nightstand. He picked up the card, the scowl changing to a slight smile.

_Dear Seto,_

_ I love you and I'm sorry if I was less than enthusiastic about the upped security detail. You're right; Mokuba, the baby and I need it. Happy anniversary, honey, and let's try to have a celebratory dinner on the weekend for both the anniversary and that we have a baby on the way._

_Love,_

_Lisa_

_PS- If you start having nightmares about me and the baby, please don't go Anakin Skywalker and try to "save me from your nightmares."—L._

Seto wisely held in his audible mirth at the postscript. "I'll remember that," he whispered, kissing her brow. She didn't stir. He got himself ready for bed and climbed in, falling asleep within ten minutes.

_And that concludes this chapter of _**Jedi League!**_ I do hope it was worth the year's wait, everyone. I hope you have noticed the selective trimming and streamlining in the previous chapters. I thank everyone who has let me discuss plot points, nightmares and other things with them. To all of you, thank you so much! Next time, we have a time skip of about three months. The Battle City arc begins next! As always, read and review, folks!_


End file.
